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ATHLETES WALK THE STAGEHAWKS LEAVE THE NEST AFTER FOUR YEARS OF ZAPATA ATHLETICS, 1B

Zapata County voters tabbedAlonso Lopez on Tuesday to suc-ceed outgoing Sheriff SigifredoGonzalez.

With 50 percent of the votes,Lopez claimed victory in athree-way race that included op-ponents Raymond Moya III andJoaquin Solis Jr.

Just 11 votes away from sur-rendering the majority of votes,Lopez narrowly avoided a runoffelection with Solis, the nearestcandidate with about 30 percentof the votes.

Lopez, who resides in Lopeño,serves as captain of administra-tion under Gonzalez. He startedhis law enforcement career as adispatcher and jailer in 1982.

Gonzalez will hand the baton

to his captain in January afterholding his post for 18 years.The sheriff decided to retire in-stead of pursuing another term.

Lopez could not be reachedfor comment Friday, but he toldThe Zapata Times in April thathis administrative experiencequalified him to be sheriff.

Solis, a 32-year veteran in lawenforcement who retired lastyear, could have forced a runoff

with a few more votes.Solis worked in both the sher-

iff ’s and the county attorney’soffice, the latter in which hewas a chief investigator.

After returning to the sher-iff ’s office for three years, he re-tired in September and turnedhis attention to his bid for elec-tion.

SHERIFF

Sheriff’s successorNew top lawman Alonso Lopez 11 votes shy of runoff

By JJ VELASQUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See SHERIFF PAGE 7A Pct. 1 County CommissionerJose E. Vela will serve anotherterm.

Vela defeated his challenger,Jose Luis “Tata” Flores, in vot-ing which ended Tuesday.

Flores held that seat from 1985to 2004, when Vela claimed hisfirst victory.

Flores has challenged Vela inevery election since.

“It was very satisfying to winthe election by a large margin,and I’m very happy for that,” Ve-la said.

Vela believes voters chose theright candidate and pointed tohis record in his years as com-missioner as evidence.

“We’re going to be here for thenext four years,” he said. “We’regoing to continue what we’vebeen doing, protecting the tax-payers and keeping the county inthe right path.”

Vela said he would turn his at-tention to adding infrastructureto attract industry to the

COMMISSIONERS

VelabeatsFloresagain

By JJ VELASQUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 7A

Other ResultsThe race for Pct. 1 constable is

headed for a runoff, as GabrielVillarreal and Adalberto “Beto”Mejia Jr. were neck-and-neck afterTuesday’s primary — with 37 per-cent and 42 percent of the votes,respectively.

Mejia, the incumbent, swappedplaces with his challenger Villar-real after early voting.

With 40 percent of the tallies,Villarreal held a lead after earlyvoting results came in. Mejia had38 percent.

In the Pct. 3 commissionerrace, incumbent Eddie Martinezwon his race comfortably, garner-ing about 67 percent of the votes.

Eloy “Jay” Martinez sealed an-other term as Pct. 3 constable onElection Night, as he secured 70percent of the votes. Martinez hadtwo challengers, Erica Benavides-Moore and Randall L. Ivey.

1 wins;one

runoffBy JJ VELASQUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

A sash was draped across Renato Rami-rez’s torso, and then he shouted, “¡Viva laRepublica!”

The Zapata County banker, who was in-strumental in the creation of the TejanoMonument, was inaugurated Saturday as

president of the Republic of the RioGrande.

The ceremony was part of this year’sFounders’ Day Celebration, a Webb Coun-ty Heritage Foundation event honoringthe founder of Laredo, Don Tomás Sán-chez, and his descendants.

This year, which marks Laredo’s 257thbirthday, saw local artist Armando Hinojo-

sa and Ramirez, along with several others,complete their decade-long work on theTejano Monument, which was unveiled atthe state Capitol in March.

Ramirez said the completion of the pro-ject was “like winning the Super Bowl.”He said passage of the legislation that

FOUNDERS’ DAY CELEBRATION

Renato Ramirez, right, stands with his cabinet members after being named the 2012 Republic of the Rio Grande president last Saturday afternoon duringthe Founders’ Day Luncheon, held in the TAMIU Student Ballroom.

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

HEAD OF THE REPUBLICCeremony honors banker with presidential sash

By JJ VELASQUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See HONOR PAGE 7A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

SATURDAY, JUNE 2LULAC Council No. 12’s Steak

for Scholars Plate Sale is today at LU-LAC Hall, 1613 Hidalgo St., from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets can be pur-chased for $5 from any member ofLULAC Council No. 12 or at the door.The purpose of this project is to raisefunds for scholarships for at-risk highschool students who have just gradu-ated. For more information, call Presi-dent Jose Gamez at 220-2654 or EdBueno at 763-2214.

MONDAY, JUNE 4The deadline for organizations

and businesses to submit an applica-tion for the City of Laredo’s Fourth ofJuly parade is today. This year’s themeis “Symbols of a Free Nation.” An en-try fee is required by each unit paya-ble upon submission of the applica-tions. The entry fees are $25 for non-profit and other tax-exemptorganizations and $60 for commercialentries. Each entry, float or nonfloatwith a generator, must pay an addi-tional $20 to the Laredo Fire Depart-ment for the fire extinguisher. Formore parade entry information, con-tact 210-588-9206 or vparaderen-tals@yahoo.com.

LAPS’ Low-cost Spay/NeuterClinic is today from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m. at the Larga Vista CommunityCenter, 5401 Cisneros St. This pro-gram is for low-income residents whomust show proof of government assist-ance. Registration fee is $10 per pet.Pre-register pets Wednesday, May 30.For more information, call 763-1402.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5The Alzheimer’s support group

will meet today at 7 p.m. in meetingroom 2, Building B, of the LaredoMedical Center, 1700 E. Saunders St.The support group is for family mem-bers and caregivers of someone whohas Alzheimer’s. For more information,call Melissa L. Guerra at 693-9991.

LAPS’ Low-cost Spay/NeuterClinic is today from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30p.m. at the Larga Vista CommunityCenter, 5401 Cisneros St. This pro-gram is for low-income residents whomust show proof of government assist-ance. Registration fee is $10 per pet.Pre-register pets Wednesday, May 30.For more information, call 763-1402.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6The Texas A&M International Uni-

versity Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetari-um will show “Force 5: Nature Un-leashed” at 4 p.m. and “Secrets of theSun” at 5 p.m. General admission $3.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9The Texas A&M International

University Lamar Bruni Vergara Plane-tarium will show “One World, One SkyBig Bird’s Adventure” at 5 p.m.; “2012:Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” at 6p.m.; and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side ofthe Moon” at 7 p.m. General admis-sion is $4 for children and $5 foradults. “Ancient Skies” and “Dark Sideof the Moon” shows are $1 more. Formore information, call 956-326-3663.

MONDAY, JUNE 11The Zapata Commissioners Court

will have its regular meeting today at9 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13The Texas A&M International Uni-

versity Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetari-um will show “The Future is Wild” at 4p.m. and “Wonders of the Universe” at5 p.m. General admission is $3. Formore information, call 956-326-3663.

FRIDAY, JUNE 22Registration for the Second An-

nual Classic Bass Fishing Tournamentis from 3-7 p.m. at the boat ramp.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23The Second Annual Classic Bass

Fishing Tournament begins with weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. There will be two per-son teams. Entry fee is $150 per boat.First place is guaranteed $3,000.

MONDAY, JULY 9The Zapata Commissioners Court

will have its regular meeting today at9 a.m.

SATURDAY, AUG. 11The Back To School Kids Fishing

Tournament takes place today.To submit an item for the calendar,

send the name of the event, the date,time, location and contact phone num-ber to editorial@lmtonline.com

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, June 2,the 154th day of 2012. Thereare 212 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On June 2, 1953, Queen El-izabeth II was crowned inWestminster Abbey, 16 monthsafter the death of her father,King George VI; it was thefirst such ceremony to be tele-vised.

On this date:In 1886, President Grover

Cleveland, 49, married Franc-es Folsom, 21, in the BlueRoom of the White House. (Todate, Cleveland is the onlypresident to marry in the ex-ecutive mansion.)

In 1897, Mark Twain, 61,was quoted by the New YorkJournal as saying from Lon-don that “the report of mydeath was an exaggeration.”

In 1924, Congress passed ameasure that was then signedby President Calvin Coolidgeguaranteeing full American ci-tizenship for all Native Amer-icans born within U.S. territo-rial limits.

In 1941, baseball’s “IronHorse,” Lou Gehrig, died inNew York of a degenerativedisease, amyotrophic lateralsclerosis; he was 37. The chiefjustice of the United States,Charles Evans Hughes, an-nounced his retirement effec-tive July 1, 1941.

In 1961, during a state visitto France, President John F.Kennedy, noting the warm re-ception his wife was receiving,jocularly described himself as“the man who accompaniedJacqueline Kennedy to Paris,and I have enjoyed it.” Play-wright and director George S.Kaufman, 71, died in NewYork.

In 1962, Soviet forces openedfire on workers in the Russiancity of Novocherkassk whohad gone on strike over foodshortages.

In 1966, the U.S. space probeSurveyor 1 landed on themoon and began transmittingdetailed photographs of the lu-nar surface.

In 1979, Pope John Paul IIarrived in his native Polandon the first visit by a pope to aCommunist country.

In 1986, for the first time,the public could watch theproceedings of the U.S. Senateon television as a six-week ex-periment began.

In 1987, President RonaldReagan announced he wasnominating economist AlanGreenspan to succeed PaulVolcker as chairman of theFederal Reserve Board.

In 1997, Timothy McVeighwas convicted of murder andconspiracy in the OklahomaCity bombing. (He was execut-ed in June 2001.)

Ten years ago: Palestinianleader Yasser Arafat offeredCabinet posts to militantgroups as part of a govern-ment reshuffle.

Today’s Birthdays: Ac-tress-singer Sally Kellerman is75. Actor Ron Ely is 74. ActorStacy Keach is 71. Rock musi-cian Charlie Watts is 71. Sing-er William Guest (GladysKnight & The Pips) is 71. Com-poser Marvin Hamlisch is 68.Actor Jerry Mathers is 64. Co-median Dana Carvey is 57. Ac-tor Gary Grimes is 57. Popmusician Michael Steele is 57.Rock singer Tony Hadley(Spandau Ballet) is 52. SingerMerril Bainbridge is 44. ActorZachary Quinto is 35. ActorDominic Cooper is 34. ActressBrittany Curran is 22.

Thought for Today: “Weare minor in everything butour passions.” — ElizabethBowen, Irish author (1899-1973).

TODAY IN HISTORY

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry on Fridayforcefully reiterated his support for DavidDewhurst in the state’s ferocious U.S. Senaterace, suggesting that national tea partygroups claiming the lieutenant governor istoo moderate “don’t know anything abouthow Texas works.”

Dewhurst, who has wielded almost asmuch power as Perry while overseeing thestate Senate as lieutenant governor since2003, squares off with fiery attorney and for-mer state Solicitor General Ted Cruz in aJuly 31 runoff election for the Republicannomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. KayBailey Hutchison. Neither won a majority ofthe votes cast in a nine-candidate GOP fieldduring Tuesday’s primary.

“I think it is inarguable that Texas has

created the most enviable economy in Amer-ica. And David Dewhurst’s fingerprints areall over it,” Perry said at a news conferenceat the Austin airport, where he took a tourshowcasing first-responder equipment tomark the start of Hurricane Season.

Perry says Texas has kept unemploymentrates far lower than the national averagethanks to legislation imposing regulatoryand tort reform that he and Dewhursthelped make possible — and that bothhelped the state balance its budgets year af-ter year without raising taxes.

The Republican governor has been a vocalsupporter of Dewhurst from the start of therace. But Perry has also long fashioned him-self as a tea party darling, especially duringhis unsuccessful run for the White House,and key tea party backers are supportingCruz.

AROUND TEXAS

Ted Cruz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, speaks on Tuesday in the JW Marriott Houston in Houston. Gov. Rick Perryrepeated his endorsement of Cruz’s opponent, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, on Friday.

Photo by Nick De la Torre/Houston Chronicle | AP

Perry still for DewhurstBy WILL WEISSERTASSOCIATED PRESS

Houston-area statelawmaker dies

AUSTIN — Houston-area stateRep. Ken Legler has died from anapparent heart attack.

Brad Tegeler, Legler’s chief ofstaff, said the 54-year-old Pasade-na Republican died Friday. Hehad served in the Texas Housesince 2008.

Legler served on the House en-vironmental regulation and pen-sion committees.

Feds OK draft report forSouth Padre access

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND —The Federal Highway Adminis-tration has approved a draft en-vironmental impact statementfor a potential second route toand from South Padre Island.

The Queen Isabella MemorialBridge connects South Padre Is-land to the Texas mainland. Offi-cials have compiled 12 proposalsfor a second access route to helpevacuate during hurricanes orother emergencies.

Arrest in fatal SoutheastTexas beach shooting

ANGLETON — A man al-ready free on bond for a Hous-ton-area murder in 2009 has beenarrested for a fatal shooting twomonths ago on a Texas beach.

Police say 19-year-old DeandreGray fled from officers near hisHouston home and was foundhiding Thursday night in thefreezer at a restaurant.

Gray is accused of the fataldrive-by shooting of 26-year-oldDerrick Milam at an April 7 par-ty at Surfside Beach.

Police seek husband afterthree found dead

EL PASO — Police say theyare looking for the estrangedhusband of a woman who wasfound dead along with her boy-friend and one of her children inan El Paso apartment.

El Paso police said in a newsrelease Friday that 35-year-oldLuis Javier Solis-Gonzalez mayhave fled to Mexico.

Fort Bliss soldier killed inAfghanistan

FORT BLISS — Military offi-cials say a Fort Bliss soldierfrom West Texas has been killedin the fighting in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department onFriday announced the death of28-year-old Staff Sgt. RobertoLoeza of El Paso.

Loeza died May 25 in Charkh,Logar province, after his unitcame under fire.

DPS Top 10 fugitivecaught in Rockwall

AUSTIN — A Texas 10 MostWanted Fugitive sought on pa-role violation, larceny and drugcharges has been caught in theDallas area.

The Texas Department of Pub-lic Safety on Friday announcedthe arrest of 29-year-old AndrewMichael McArter. DPS saysMcArter was captured Wednes-day afternoon as he arrived at aresidence in Rockwall.

— Compiled from AP reports

Dismal job market pushesDow into 275-point plunge

U.S. stocks are closing withtheir biggest declines this yearafter a dismal jobs report andtroubling economic news fromoverseas.

The government said Fridaythat employers added a net 69,000jobs in May, far fewer than ana-lysts expected. Unemployment inthe 17 countries that use the eu-ro stayed at a record-high 11 per-cent, and there were signs thatChina’s growth is slowing.

The Dow Jones industrial av-erage closed down 275 points at12,118, its biggest decline sinceNovember. The Dow is down 0.8percent for the year.

See story, Page 6A.

Amorous bovines blocktraffic on W. Pa. highway

KITTANNING, Pa. — State po-lice say a pair of amorous bo-vines tied up traffic near the in-

tersection of two rural Pennsyl-vania highways.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazettereported the situation Friday.Trooper John Corna said it wasresolved about 9:15 a.m. whenstate Department of Agriculturemanaged to shoo the bull and

cow into a trailer.Corna says the intersection of

Routes 28 and 85 in RayburnTownship is busier than usualbecause of construction, and traf-fic was hampered when the mat-ing bovines refused to move.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

A firefighter works an area along the northwest perimeter of a massive blaze inthe Gila National Forest in New Mexico in this photo made on Wednesday. Morethan 1,200 firefighters are battling the fire. See story, Page 6A.

Photo by Alan Sinclair/U.S. Forest Service | AP

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

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CONTACT US

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 Local THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

ACCIDENTAn accident with a deer was

reported at 4:04 p.m. May 27about 10 miles north of San Ygna-cio. A 34-year-old woman reportedshe struck a deer while driving her2010 GMC truck on U.S. 83. Ac-cording to the woman, the deerwas standing in the middle of thehighway and moved into her lane.

BURGLARYA 61-year-old man reported

at 8:25 p.m. May 24 in the 1500block of Falcon Avenue that some-one stole a battery from the backof his utility truck. The stolen itemwas worth $90.

A burglary of a vehicle wasreported at 12:56 a.m. Monday inthe 200 block of Lozano Street.

DOMESTIC DISTURBANCEDeputies responded to a do-

mestic disturbance at 10:59 a.m.May 26 in the 100 block of Rami-reño Street. No arrest was made.

HORSE KILLEDA 22-year-old man reported

at 11:31 a.m. Tuesday in the 3000block of Encino Road that hishorse was shot and killed. Thecase is being investigated.

INJURY TO CHILDDeputies responded to an

injury to a child case at 2:35 p.m.Tuesday in the 1900 block of Mira-flores Avenue. Child Protective Ser-vices and Zapata County Sheriff’sOffice are investigating the case.

POSSESSIONEduardo Isidro Benavides,

66, was arrested and charged withpossession of a controlled sub-stance at about 2:45 a.m. Tuesdayat 10th Street and Mier Avenue.Benavides is out on bail.

TERRORISTIC THREATA terroristic threat was re-

ported Monday in the 2400 blockof Elm Street.

THE BLOTTER

An Edinburg man isfacing federal charges forattempting to transportan undocumented womanto Houston, according tocourt records made pub-lic last week.

Jorge Castañeda wascharged with unlawfullytransporting a Guatema-lan citizen using a motorvehicle. He remained in

lan citizen illegally in theUnited States.

Castañeda admittedtransporting the undocu-mented woman. Duringthe investigation, thewoman told Immigrationand Customs Enforce-ment agents she paidCastañeda $1,500 to betaken to Houston.

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

lowed the vehicle. Whenhe noticed the driver haddriven off the road andback into the highway,the agent activated hisunit’s emergency lights toconduct an immigrationinspection of the occu-pants.

Authorities identifiedthe driver as Castañeda,a U.S. citizen from Edin-burg. The woman, thecomplaint states, wasidentified as a Guatema-

federal custody Friday af-ternoon.

At 2:15 a.m. May 23, ablue Mercury Grand Mar-quis with Texas licenseplates was heading northon U.S. 83 near San Ygna-cio. An agent assigned tothe Zapata area noticedthe driver and a passen-ger in the back seat.

According to the com-plaint, the female passen-ger tried to hide in theback seat. The agent fol-

Valley man faces fed chargeBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

A homeless man knownfor holding a sign reading“Why lie. I need beer” wasfound dead May 27 in theBorder Region MentalHealth Mental Retarda-tion parking lot at 101First St.

On May 27, deputies re-sponded to a call at 12:36p.m. to First Avenue andU.S. 83. Sgt. Mario Elizon-do said deputies found Mi-chael W. Cantrell, 61, un-conscious at the MHMRparking lot.

Pct. 3 Justice of thePeace Fernando Muñozpronounced Cantrell deadat 1:05 p.m. Corinne Stern,Webb County medical ex-aminer, told Muñoz thecause of death was relatedto heart problems.

Elizondo said the Zapa-ta community knew himas the “Why lie guy” forhis sign asking for beer.Cantrell, of Fort Worth,would ask for his favoritebeverage at U.S. 83 andTexas 16.

“People would stop andwould give him beer,” Eli-zondo said. Cantrell mostrecently frequented Lare-

do and McAllen.A YouTube video made

by user rancholosmaluloshad more than 3,400 viewsas of Friday afternoon.The YouTube user inter-viewed Cantrell in McAl-len in 2009.

In the video, Cantrellsays he used to work for a

market research companyin Las Vegas. He said heonce saw a guy with asign asking for money forfood and beer. Cantrell didnot want to lie or copy theperson and came up withhis sign, “Why lie. I needbeer.”

“I get beer all day

long,” Cantrell told theYouTube user, adding thathis favorite was BudLight. “If I put on my sign‘homeless, hungry,’ that’sboring. I don’t want (peo-ple) to be sad. I want themto laugh. They startlaughing, (and say)‘Here.’”

Cantrell goes on tomention that he could notwork at some businessesbecause he had felonies.He spent five years inprison for selling marijua-na, he said on camera.

“People get on thestreets for all kinds of rea-sons and usually being inprison is one of them,” hesaid.

In addition, Cantrellwas a registered sex of-fender with BrownsvillePolice Department, ac-cording to the Texas De-partment of Public SafetyCrime Records Servicewebsite. Zapata CountySheriff ’s Office oversawhis annual verification re-quirement. His projectedending registration datewould’ve been May 1,2016.

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

‘Why lie guy’ found deadBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

Michael W. Cantrell is seen during a YouTube video interview inMcAllen, in 2009. He was found dead in Zapata on May 27.

Screen shot from YouTube video

The Texas A&M Interna-tional University SmallBusiness Development Cen-ter is offering two work-shops.

Tuesday: ManagingCash — the Small BusinessOwner’s Guide to FinancialControl Workshop is sched-uled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. atWestern Hemispheric TradeCenter, room 126; $20 fee in-cludes workbook. Cash flowis what comes into and goesout of a business. Gainingfinancial control by under-standing cash flow is cru-cial to business success. Thesession will review cash —maximizing cash flow, tools

for speeding up cash collec-tions, overdue invoices,three tools for helping withaccounts receivable, cashflow statements and short-term financing solutions.

Thursday: Anatomy of aBusiness Plan Workshop isfrom 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at theWestern Hemispheric TradeCenter, room 126. Fee is $20,and participants receive“Anatomy of a BusinessPlan: a Step-by-Step Guideto Building a Business andSecuring your Company’sFuture,” a $50 value. Oneneeds to write a businessplan when starting or buy-ing a business, financing orrefinancing or raising debtor equity capital.

Classes to aidbusiness people

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

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

On Tuesday, PresidentObama bestowed the na-tion’s highest civilianhonor — the PresidentialMedal of Freedom — on13 individuals. One ofthem was Jan Karski.

Karski was an institu-tion at Georgetown Uni-versity, where his classeswere favorites among up-per division students inthe School of ForeignService.

He was visibly strik-ing, handsome, alwaysfinely dressed and stand-ing rigidly straight. Hehad the air of nobility —an air exaggerated by histhick Polish accent andunusual facial features,with eyes that betrayed alife of tragedy.

Military serviceHe was born Jan Ko-

zielewski in 1914 in Lodz,Poland. He was Catholic.As a young diplomat inthe autumn of 1939, hewas called to active dutyas a Polish cavalry offi-cer with the stormclouds of World War IIon the horizon.

For Kozielewski, thewar as a soldier in uni-form was short-lived.Germany overran Po-land from the west. In anoften forgotten episode,Russia also invaded Po-land from the east in ac-cordance with a secretpact between Hitler andStalin.

He escaped from theSoviets, barely avoidingthe massacre of Polishofficers at the Katyn For-est, then from the Nazis.Returning to Warsaw tojoin the Polish resist-ance, he adopted the nomde guerre that he wouldkeep for the rest of hislife — Karski.

Karski undertookmany missions as a cou-rier for the Polish gov-ernment-in-exile. TheGestapo captured andbrutally tortured him —the reason for those un-usual facial features. Heescaped yet again, andhis final missions includ-ed dangerous visits tothe Warsaw Ghetto and aNazi death camp.

Saw HolocaustKarski made his way

to London, where he de-livered the first eyewit-ness reports of the Holo-caust to Allied leaders.

In 1943, he went toWashington, where hegave personal testimonyto members of Congressand President FranklinRoosevelt. He tried invain to compel the Alliesto take direct action tostop the genocide. Hewas a living refutation ofthe claim, “We did notknow.”

Karski was tormentedthroughout his life bywhat he had witnessed.He tormented himselfwith the notion that hehad not done enough.

In 1981, at a confer-ence organized by ElieWiesel, Karski reflectedon his agony: “The Lordassigned me a role tospeak and write duringthe war when, as itseemed to me, it mighthelp. It did not.” Whatmore could one manhave done?

Reopens memoriesIn 1944, Karski wrote

“Story of a Secret State,”his autobiographical ac-count of the war years.Then, at some point, heburied the past. For dec-ades he did not talkabout the war. In the late70s, director ClaudeLanzmann approachedhim to offer testimony inhis Holocaust documen-tary, “Shoah.” Karskicomplied. The episodeseemed to spark in himthe desire to open upabout his war-time expe-riences. Not long after-ward, I was one of hisstudents.

Unlike “Schindler’sList,” “Story of a SecretState” and the rest ofKarski’s life had no up-lifting conclusion. Hefaced death threatsthroughout his life fromunrepentant Nazis andtheir sympathizers.Tragedy stalked him un-til his final days. Hiswife jumped to her deathfrom the balcony of theirapartment in 1992. Theyhad no children.

War over wordsPerhaps the final trag-

edy is that Karski re-ceived the Medal of Free-dom posthumously — hedied 12 years ago — andthe ceremony thatshould have recollectedhis bravery to an un-knowing and often un-caring world has becomeovershadowed by an in-ternational disputeprompted by WhiteHouse affronts to Po-land.

In “Karski: How OneMan Tried to Stop theHolocaust,” E. ThomasWood and Stanislaw M.Jankowski give an ac-count of Karski’s lastvisit to the Warsaw Ghet-to, during which he metwith one of the Jewishresistance leaders.

“Remember this,” heimplored Karski. “Re-member this.”

Karski never forgot.His memories of the Hol-ocaust haunted him tothe end. Those of us whowere privileged to knowKarski will never forgethim.

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

Polish herodeserves hisrecognition

By JONATHAN GURWITZSAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Timesdoes not publish anony-mous letters.

To be published, let-ters must include thewriter’s first and lastnames as well as aphone number to verifyidentity. The phonenumber IS NOT publish-ed; it is used solely toverify identity and toclarify content, if neces-sary. Identity of the let-ter writer must be veri-fied before publication.

We want to assure

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

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

Via e-mail, send let-ters to editorial@lmton-line.com or mail them toLetters to the Editor, 111Esperanza Drive, Lare-do, TX 78041.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Next Saturday willbe a very specialand memorableday in our Cath-

olic community.On Saturday, June 9, I

will ordain my fourthpriest and my fifth transi-tional deacon as bishop ofthe Diocese of Laredo.

The Sacrament of HolyOrders takes place at his-toric San Agustín Cathe-dral at 10 a.m.

Rev. Deacon Joel Perezand seminarian Angel Va-lenciano will move for-ward on their lifelongjourneys of serving ourLord and the faithful ofthe Diocese of Laredo.

Deacon Joel will be-come the fourth priest or-dained in our diocese andseminarian Angel will be-come the fifth transitionaldeacon ordained duringmy episcopacy.

These brave, faith-filledyoung men heard God’scall many years ago, dis-cerned it and are now an-swering with a resound-ing, “Yes.”

They are following Je-sus just as the disciples Si-mon and his brother An-drew did so many yearsago.

In the Gospel of Mark(1:17), “Jesus said to them,‘Come after me, and I willmake you fishers of men.’”

Deacon Joel and semi-narian Angel serve as ex-amples of listening to doGod’s will and to have thefaith and perseverance inHis plan for them.

They are remindersthat God also gives usmultiple opportunities torespond to His unique callto us and that we possessthe ability to allow God tocreate us anew each andevery day.

The choice to heed Hiscall and to do good thingsis a gift from God that it isto be treasured.

And that is what Dea-con Joel and seminarianAngel are doing — gooddeeds in the name of God.

But so can you.Everyone is called to

serve God our Father.Whether you are a deacon,a man or a woman reli-gious or laity, all arecalled to be messengers inwhat Pope Benedict XVIdescribes as the NewEvangelization.

Everyone should seizethe opportunity to spread

God’s word and His love toall.

I invite you to join me,and the hundreds that willfill San Agustín Cathedralnext Saturday at 10 a.m.,in proclaiming God’sword.

Seminarian Angel willbe ordained a transitionaldeacon, which is a majorstep in his journey towardthe priesthood and deaconJoel will be ordained “apriest forever according tothe order of Melchise-dech.” (Psalm 109:4)

These young men enterthe priesthood and thediaconate ready and eagerto serve God and His peo-ple — Todo Con Amor!

(Bishop James A. Ta-mayo heads the RomanCatholic Diocese of Laredo.The diocese covers Zapataand six surrounding coun-ties.)

COLUMN

Two men answer God’s call“JAMES TAMAYO

America’s decades-longanti-tobacco effort hasyielded massive benefits,cutting the smoking rate inhalf since 1964 and savinguntold millions of lives. Butthe smoking rate has plat-eaued in recent years, ataround a fifth of U.S.adults.

Has policy reached itslimit? Will there always bea chunk of the populationthat cannot resist lightingup or chewing?

Federal, state and localgovernments have not giv-en up. Congress in 2009gave the Food and DrugAdministration authorityto regulate tobacco; theagency could eventually re-quire reductions of addic-

tive chemicals and carcino-gens in tobacco products.

Federal rules now pro-hibit flavored cigarettesand misleading terms onpackaging such as "low,""light" and "mild."

Many — but not all —states have adopted smoke-free policies in bars, restau-rants and workplaces. Andsome states have continuedto crank up their most ef-fective weapon: tobacco tax-es, which encourage quit-ting and which have a par-ticularly good record atpreventing teen smoking.

But raising taxes can al-so spur the development ofa black market, as shownby tobacco smuggling —where cigarettes are takenfrom states with low tobac-co taxes into those with

higher ones. No doubtmuch of this problem couldbe solved by raising thefederal tobacco tax with aneye toward harmonizingstate policies.

But how far the federalgovernment can increaseits excise without invitinginternational smuggling orother illicit commerce is anopen question.

New Zealand may helpprovide an answer. The Pa-cific nation announced lastweek a pathbreaking planto eliminate smoking by2025. Among other things,shops selling cigarettes willhave to conceal them fromview. New Zealand will in-crease its already high to-bacco tax by 40 percent,bringing the price of apack to about $15 (U.S.).

That’s a few bucks higherthan packs in New YorkCity. But New Zealand’s isalso a national policy, socriminals will find it hard-er to supply illicit tobaccothere than they do inAmerica.

There is a point beyondwhich raising national cig-arette taxes stops beinguseful, or becomes a pro-hibition policy in all butname. New Zealand consid-ered and rejected the ideaof raising the price to $75 apack. But $15 a pack maydiscourage use furtherwithout eliminating indi-vidual choice. After 2016,when the country’s newpolicy phases in fully, pub-lic-health advocates willhave additional evidenceone way or another.

COLUMN

Tobacco restrictions are goodTHE WASHINGTON POST

LAREDO06/02 — First United

Methodist Church, 1220 ave-nida McClelland, tendrá unaventa de libros usados de8:30 a.m. a 1 p.m. Libros depasta dura, a 1 dólar; librosde pasta blanda a .50 centa-vos; revistas y libros infanti-les, a .25 centavos.

06/02 — Venta de artí-culos usados de 9 a.m. a 4p.m. en el Salón Parroquialde Blessed SacramentChurch, 1600 avenida Bar-tlett.

06/07 — El ex Lareden-se, Jack Strunk, se presenta-rá en la Sala de Usos Múlti-ples H-E-B de Biblioteca Pú-blica de Laredo, de 2 p.m. a3:30 p.m. para discutir su li-bro.

06/09 — El ex Lareden-se, Jack Strunk, se presenta-rá en la Sala de Usos Múlti-ples H-E-B de Biblioteca Pú-blica de Laredo, de 6 p.m. a7:30 p.m. para discutir susexperiencias personales y sulibro.

NUEVO LAREDO06/02 — Estación Pala-

bra invita al “Bazar de Arte”a las 12 p.m.; “Lecturas an-tes de Abordar: Ciencia Fic-ción” a la 1 p.m.; “FestivalInfantil: Ciencia Ficción” alas 2 p.m.; Taller de Crea-ción Literaria con Jacobo Mi-na de 3 p.m. a 5 p.m. Todoslos eventos son gratuitos.

06/02 — Museo paraNiños presenta “Colores yDibujos” a las 4 p.m. en laSala de Servicios Educativosdel Centro Cultural. Entradalibre.

06/02 — El musical “LoSiento Mi Amor” se estrenaa las 7 p.m. en el Teatro delIMSS (Reynosa y Belden),con una alfombra roja previaa la función. Costo: 80 pe-sos.

06/02 — Partidos semi-finales del Torneo nacionalde Basquetbol femenil, a las9 a.m. en el gimnasio de laNueva Ciudad Deportiva.

06/02 — “Ay Jalisco, note rajes” a las 7 p.m. en Ex-planada Cívica de la Inde-pendencia.

06/03 — Partidos fina-les y premiacion del Torneonacional de Basquetbol fe-menil a las 9 a.m. en elgimnasio de la Nueva CiudadDeportiva.

06/03 — Visitas guiadasa los Museos “Reyes Meza”y “De Historia Natural” de10 a.m. a 7 p.m. en el Cen-tro Cultural. Entrada libre.

06/03 — Laberintus Ar-te y Cultura, A.C. presenta“Historia del Otro Lado” deÁngel Hernández, a las 12p.m. en el Teatro del IMSS,Reynosa y Belden. Costo: 20pesos. Apta para toda la fa-milia.

06/04 — Exposiciónconmemorativa del Día Mun-dial de los Archivos, a las 7p.m. en el Archivo Generaldel Municipio “Juan E. Ri-cher”.

06/05 — Celebracióndel Día Mundial del MedioAmbiente en las riveras delRío Bravo, a las 8:30 a.m.,entre Álvaro Obregón y 15de Junio.

06/06 — Conferencias,exhibición de stands de ma-quiladoras y desfile de eco-fashion de Canacintra, a las8:30 a.m. en la Sala SergioPeña de la Antigua Aduana.

06/07 — Concurso dedeclamación (Categorías: A,B, C) a las 10 a.m. en elAuditorio de Estación Pala-bra.

06/07 — Exposición fo-tográfica “Nuestro CentroHistórico” a las 7 p.m. enSala de Exposiciones delBanco Longoria.

06/08 — SimposiumNacional de Proteccion Civily Bomberos, a las 8 a.m. enel Centro Cultural.

06/08 — Concurso dedeclamación (Categorías: D)a las 10 a.m. en el Auditoriode Estación Palabra.

Agendaen Breve

El Comisionado delCondado por el Precinto1, José E. Vela, continua-rá otro término.

Vela venció a su reta-dor, José Luis “Tata” Flo-res, durante las votacio-nes, las cuales concluye-ron el martes.

Flores estuvo en el lu-gar de 1985 a 2004, cuandoVela obtuvo su primervictoria.

Flores ha retado a Velaen cada elección desdeentonces.

“Fue muy satisfactorioganar la elección por unamplio margen, y estoymuy feliz por esto”, dijoVela.

Vela cree que los vo-tantes eligieron al candi-dato correcto y destacócomo evidencia sus ante-cedentes en sus años co-mo comisionado.

“Estaremos aquí porlos próximos cuatroaños”, dijo él. “Continua-remos lo que hemos esta-do haciendo, protegiendoa los contribuyentes ymanteniendo al condadoen el camino correcto”.

Vela dijo que daríaatención al agregar infra-estructura para atraer in-

dustria al área.Con una baja en la ac-

tividad del petróleo y elgas, las ganancias genera-das de este sector tam-bién han disminuido, porlo que dijo que se enfoca-rá en crear más fuentesde ingreso para el conda-do.

Él cree que el más re-ciente proyecton que élha respaldado en la Cortede Comisionados haráeso.

Vela trabaja en traerun centro de diálisis parariñon al condado, a fin dealiviar al carga a sus resi-dentes quienes viajan aLaredo y San Antonio pa-ra recibir tratamiento.

Los comisionados es-tán programados para vo-tar sobre la aprobaciónde la construcción de laclínica en su siguientejunta regular.

Dijo que el proyecto se-rá su principal prioridaden su siguiente término.

Vela dijo que continua-ría sirviendo a la comu-nidad y manteniendo alcondado “en el caminocorrecto”.

Flores, por su parte,agradeció a las personasque votaron por él.

“ (Localice a JJ Velas-quez en (956) 728-2567)

José E. Velacontinuará

en cargoPOR JJ VELASQUEZTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El martes, votantes delCondado de Zapata de Zapa-ta decidieron que AlonsoLópez asumiera el cargo delAlguacil Sigifredo González.

Con 50 por ciento de losvotos, Lopez declaró la vic-toria en una contienda contres participantes que inclu-yó a Raymond Moya III yJoaquín Solís Jr.

A tan solo 11 votos de noobtener la mayoría de sufra-gios, Lopez apenas evitóuna elección de desempatecon Solís, el más cercanocandidato con aproximada-mente 30 por ciento de lossufragios.

Lopez, quien vive en Lo-peño, es un capitán de ad-ministración bajo González.Inició su carrera en la apli-cación de la ley como undespachador y carcelero en1982.

González entregará la ba-tuta a su capitán en enero,tras haber estado en el car-go por 18 años. El alguacildecidió retirarse en lugar debuscar otro periodo.

López no pudo ser locali-zado para comentarios elviernes, pero dijo a The Za-

pata Times en abril que suexperiencia administrativalo calificaba para ser algua-cil.

Solis, un veterano por 32años en la aplicación de laley, quien se retiró el añopasado, pudiera haber obli-gaco un desempate con unpoco más de votos.

Solis trabajó tanto en laoficina del alguacil como enla del abogado del condado.En la última fue un oficialinvestigador.

Tras regresar a la oficinadel alguacil por tres años, seretiró en septiembre y em-pezó a inclinar su atenciónpara contender en las elec-ciones.

Solis dijo que pensabacontinuar retirado y que es-taba contento con el resulta-do de la votación.

“Eso es lo que la gentequiso”, dijo él. “Estoy biencon eso”.

Moya, de 43 años de edad,un oficial investigador en laofticina del abogado del con-dado,obtuvo la menor canti-dad de votos con 647, que re-presentaron aproximada-mente un 20 por ciento delos votos.

Dijo que deseaba lo mejora Lopez en su nuevo cargo.

“Ya pasó y concluyó”, di-jo Moya. “Las personas sa-lieron, emitieron sus votos,y él salió adelante”.

Otros resultadosLa contienda para comi-

sario del Precinto 1 se enca-mina hacia un desempate,conforme Gabriel Villarrealy Adalberto “Beto” Mejia Jr.estuvieron parejos tras laprimaria del martes.

Con 40 por ciento de lossufragios, Villarreal mantu-vo la cabecera tras que lle-garon los resultados de lavotación anticipada. Mejiatuvo 38 por ciento.

En la carrera para Comi-sionado del Precinto 3, el ac-tual comisionado, EddieMartinez ganó tranquila-mente, obteniendo alrededorde 67 por ciento de los votos.

Eloy “Jay” Martinez sellóotro término como comisa-rio del Precinto 3 la Nochede Elecciones, conformeaseguró 70 por ciento de losvotos. Martinez tuvo dos re-tadores, Erica Benavides-Moore y Randall L. Ivey.

(Localice a JJ Velasquezen el (956)728-2567)

Conteode votosPOR JJ VELASQUEZTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El representante Estataldel Distrito 80 del Congreso,Tracy King, D-Batesville, lo-gró una victoria en Zapata yganó los otros cuatro conda-dos del distrito, superando allaredense Jery Garza.

King ganó menos del 55por ciento de los votos delCondado de Zapata, pero con-siguió no menos del 74 porciento en Frío, Dimmit, Uval-de o Zavala.

Aunque más de 4,000 resi-dentes del Condado de Webbvotaron por Garza, obtuvo so-lo 7,163 votos mientras queKing tuvo 10,597.

King dijo que el éxito deGarza en el área de Laredofue inesperado.

“Él ha estado 8 años comocomisionado del condado ysolía ser presentador de noti-cias y tenía un nombre muy,muy reconocido”, dijo.

Atribuyó su victoria en Za-pata a trabajo duro y la ayu-da de sus simpatizantes quie-nes son líderes en la comuni-dad.

Cuando declaró su candi-datura para RepresentanteEstatal en diciembre, Garzatenía que enfrentar al repre-sentante del estado titularRyan Guillen, D-Rio GrandeCity, cuyo distrito incluía Za-pata y la mayor parte delCondado de Webb. El resulta-do final del proceso de la re-distribución de distritos sacóa Guillen de los dos condados.

King dijo estar agradecidocon sus simpatizantes y espe-raba estudiar los temas quese tocarán en la próxima se-sión legislativa.

Explicó que los votantesdel distrito quieren ver res-taurado y con fondos el sectorde educación pública y segu-ro médico, tareas que seránmás difíciles que nunca, pueslos Republicanos continúanperdiendo sillas frente amiembros más conservadoresdel partido.

Comentó que en una sesiónlegislativa con una participa-ción anormalmente alta, suantigüedad sería una ventaja.

GanaKing enDistritoOchenta

POR ANDREW KREIGHBAUM TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Una banda fue colocadasobre el torso de RenatoRamirez, y después él gri-tó, “¡Viva la República!”.

El banquero del Conda-do de Zapata, quien jugóun papel decisivo en lacreación del MonumentoTejano, fue investido el sá-bado como el presidentede la República del RíoGrande.

La ceremonia fue partede la Celebración del Díade los Fundadores de esteaño, un evento de la Fun-dación para el Patrimoniodel Condado de Webb, rin-

diendo homenaje al funda-dor de Laredo Don TomásSánchez y sus descendien-tes.

Este año, el cual marcael 257 aniversario de lafundación de Laredo, per-mitió al artista local Ar-mando Hinojosa y a Rami-rez, junto con variosotros, concluir un trabajode una década sobre elMonumento Tejano, elcual fue develado en el ca-pitolio estatal en marzo.

Ramirez dijo que laconclusión del proyectoera “como ganar el SuperTazón”. Dijo que fue unmilagro la aprobación dela legislación que colocó

el monumento en el Jar-dín Sur, el área principalpara monumentos en elcapitolio.

La Senadora Estatal Ju-dith Zaffirini, quien estu-vo involucrada en la apro-bación de esa propuestade ley, estuvo de acuerdocon el comentario.

Ella le dio el crédito aRamirez por trabajar enhacer eso posible.

“Fue gracias a RenatoRamirez y su éxito en re-caudar el dinero, princi-palmente en Laredo y Za-pata,… (que hicimos) estesueño una realidad”, dijoZaffirini.

El monumento de 525

pies cuadrados refleja a lavida salvaje, un vaquero yfamilias Españolas que seasentaron en partes de Te-xas en los 1500.

Pero Ramirez dijo queestaba principalmente or-gulloso del resultado edu-cativo que el monumentopudiera producir.

Durante el proyecto, ex-pertos en la historia colo-nias Española en Texasdesarrolló un currículoque está siendo enseñadoen varias escuelas prima-rias del Distrito EscolarIndependiente de Austin.

Se espera continuar elprograma el siguiente añoescolar.

Renato Ramírez, a la extrema derecha, es visto junto a los miembros de su gabinete, tras haber sido designado Presidente de la Re-pública del Río Grande 2012, hace una semana, durante la Comida por el Día de los Fundadores, en TAMIU de Laredo.

Foto por Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

¡VIVA LAREPÚBLICA!

Ramírez recibe banda como ‘presidente’POR JJ VELASQUEZTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Zfrontera PÁGINA 5ASÁBADO 2 DE JUNIO DE 2012

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES Nation SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

The stock market suf-fered its worst day of theyear Friday after a surpris-ingly weak report abouthiring and employmentcast a pall of gloom overthe U.S. economy. The DowJones industrial averageplunged 275 points.

Traders stampeded intothe safety of bonds, push-ing the yield on the bench-mark 10-year Treasury noteto a record low. Fearful in-vestors bought gold, caus-ing the price to spike $50an ounce, and concernabout a global economicslowdown drove the priceof oil to its lowest since Oc-tober.

“The big worry now isthat this economic slow-down is widening and ac-celerating,” said Sam Sto-vall, chief equity strategistat S&P Capital IQ, a mar-ket research firm.

It was the Dow’s steepestone-day drop since Novem-ber.

The Standard & Poor’s500 index and Nasdaq com-posite index both fell morethan 3 percent. The Nasdaqhas dropped more than 10percent since its peak —what traders call a marketcorrection. The S&P 500 isjust a point above correc-tion territory.

American employersadded just 69,000 jobs inMay, the fewest in a year,and the unemploymentrate increased to 8.2 per-cent from 8.1 percent. Econ-omists had forecast a gainof 158,000 jobs.

The report, considered

the most important eco-nomic indicator eachmonth, also said that hir-ing in March and Aprilwas considerably weakerthan originally thought.

Earlier data showedweak economic conditionsin Europe and Asia, too.Unemployment in the 17countries that use the eurocurrency stayed at a re-cord-high 11 percent inApril, and unemploymentspiked to almost 25 percentin Spain.

There were signs thatgrowth in China, whichhelped sustain the globaleconomy through the reces-sion, is slowing significant-ly. China’s manufacturingweakened in May, accord-ing to surveys released Fri-day.

The Dow closed down274.88 points, or 2.2 percent,at 12,118.57. The Dow is off0.8 percent for the year; twomonths ago, it was upmore than 8 percent for theyear.

The Standard & Poor’s500 index fell 32.29 points,or 2.5 percent, to 1,278.04.The Nasdaq dropped 79.86,or 2.8 percent, to 2,747.48.Both indexes are still upfor the year — 1.6 percentfor the S&P 500 and 5.5 per-cent for the Nasdaq.

Traders sold all types ofrisky investments andrushed to the safety of U.S.government bonds andgold. Bond prices rosesharply, briefly pushing theyield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury notedown to 1.44 percent, thelowest on record. The yieldended the day at 1.46 per-cent.

Gold for August deliveryclimbed $57.90, nearly 4percent, to $1,622.10 perounce.

“Everybody’s looking fora safe haven,” said AdamPatti, CEO of IndexIQ, anasset management firm.He’s skeptical of that strat-egy, believing the swingwas driven by short-termtraders “looking to flip inand out of things,” ratherthan long-term investorswilling to ride out a fewbumps in the market.

May was the worstmonth for the stock marketin two years by some mea-sures. Investors’ worriesabout Europe’s debt crisis

intensified as the monthwore on. Greece’s politicalfuture is uncertain, and itappears increasingly likelyto stop using the euro cur-rency. That could rattle fi-nancial markets and makeGreece’s economy evenweaker.

Friday’s jobs reportdrew traders’ attentionback to the weakening U.S.economy, said Todd Sala-mone, director of researchfor Schaeffer’s InvestmentResearch in Cincinnati.

“The weaker jobs reporttranslates into anticipationof slower growth ahead andweaker corporate earnings,and that ratchets stock

prices lower,” Salamonesaid.

The record-low yield onthe 10-year Treasury notereflected rapid buying bytraders with the biggestportfolios, including cen-tral banks, endowmentsand pension funds, said IraJersey, U.S. interest ratestrategist at Credit Suisse.He said managers wereselling investments pricedin euros and stashing theirmoney in U.S. securities.

Several analysts raisedthe possibility that theweakening economy willprompt more action by gov-ernments and centralbanks seeking to juice glob-

al economic activity. Antici-pation of some policy re-sponse prevented evendeeper losses, Stovall said.

The Federal Reserve un-dertook programs in 2009and 2010 to buy U.S. gov-ernment bonds. Its goalwas to lower interest ratesand encourage people tobuy riskier investmentslike stocks. At least in pub-lic, the central bank so farhas resisted a third roundof purchases, known asquantitative easing.

Anticipation of bond-buying by the Fed “mightput in a little bit of a floorto the market, but the over-all economic picture is stillbad,” said Bob Gelfond,CEO of a New York hedgefund.

The dollar fell partly be-cause traders expect moreintervention by the FederalReserve, Gelfond said.

The euro rose half a pen-ny against the dollar toabove $1.24. A day earlier,fears about Europe’s fi-nances had pushed the eu-ro to a nearly two-year lowagainst the dollar.

Only 17 of the 500 compa-nies in the S&P index werehigher for the day.

Homebuilder stocks fellthe most, despite a reportthat construction spendingrose in April. PulteGroupfell 11.8 percent, D.R. Hor-ton 8.4 percent and Lennar8.3 percent.

Boeing, the biggest U.S.exporter, fell 3.4 percent,one of the biggest declinesamong the 30 companiesthat make up the Dow.Traders fear that the eco-nomic slowdown will hurtdemand for airplanes.

Stocks slump with dismal job report

Anthony Riccio, center, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Fri-day. Stocks fell sharply Friday after the release of a dismal report on job creation in the United States.The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 200 points, erasing what was left of its gain forthe year.

Photo by Richard Drew | AP

By DANIEL WAGNERASSOCIATED PRESS

RESERVE, N.M. — Awildfire burning in whatNew Mexico’s governorcalled “impossible” terrainin an isolated, mountain-ous area of the state contin-ued its rapid growth Fridayas forecasters called forthunderstorms and drylightning that could sparkeven more fires.

The massive blaze in theGila National Forest insouthwestern New Mexicois the biggest in state histo-ry and the largest current-ly burning in the country.It scorched an additional 39square miles in the pastday, growing to nearly 340square miles, as more than1,200 firefighters worked tohalt its spread.

Firefighters are creatingmore burnout operations tobattle the erratic blaze thathas injured six people, thefire’s incident managementteam said Friday. Detailson the injuries were not

immediately available.Officials said the fire is

around 10 percent con-tained.

Though crews are beinghelped with increased hu-midity levels, forecasterssay there’s a chance forthunderstorms and drylightning over New Mexi-co’s Black Hills area thatcould spark more fires.

Gov. Susana Martinezviewed the fire from a NewMexico National Guard hel-icopter Thursday and sawthe thick smoke shroudingsome of the steep canyonsthat are inaccessible to fire-fighters. She described theterrain as “impossible,”saying there was no wayfor firefighters to directlyattack the flames in therugged areas of wilderness.

“It’s going to keep goingup,” she said. “Be preparedfor that.”

Along the fire’s northernedge, Martinez spottedcrews doing burnout oper-ations designed to slow theerratic blaze, which has

surpassed last year’s LasConchas fire as the largestin recorded state history.That fire charred 156,593acres and threatened theLos Alamos National Labo-ratory, the nation’s premiernuclear facility.

From the air, Martinezcould see the blanket ofsmoke stretching for miles.She used words like“daunting” and “enor-mous,” fitting since firemanagers said the blazecould smolder until the re-gion gets significant rain-fall during the summer

Firefighters work alongthe northwest perime-ter of a massive blazein the Gila NationalForest in New Mexicoon Monday. More than1,200 firefighters arebattling the fire thathas burned nearly217,000 acres in anisolated mountainousarea of southwesternNew Mexico.

Photo by John Roads/U.S. Forest Service | AP

Record-setting NM firenow 339 square miles

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYANASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

A long-time resident ofZapata County left familyand countless friends toenter into the presence ofhis Lord on Wednesday,May 30, 2012.

Joe was born in Lare-do, Texas, on Dec. 18,1963, and passed away inSan Antonio, Texas, aftera brief stay in the hospi-tal. He was a graduate ofMartin High School inLaredo (Class of ’83),

Joe leaves behind hiswife of 28 years, SandraSendejo Reyes; children:Jose Augustine (LittleJoe), Ramiro and Andrea;his mother, Santa Sali-nas; and siblings: FaustoReyes, Augustine Reyes(deceased), Rosario Reyesand Norberto Reyes.

Joe was a long-timeservant to his communitythrough law enforcementwith more than 25 yearsof experience. He startedwith the Webb CountySheriff ’s Office as a de-tention officer and thendeputy and then moved toZapata and became a dep-uty with the ZapataCounty S.O. He continuedhis career as he joinedthe U.S. Border Patroland was currently withthe U.S. Marshal’s Ser-vice in Laredo.

Joe was a man withmany passions: his fam-ily, his church and every-thing outdoors. He lovedhis horses and team rop-ing, his involvement withthe Zapata County Fairand show animals, hunt-ing, fishing and his bar-becue. Joe was known in

the community as a manof integrity and depend-ability. He was a manwho would always offeryou a hand no matterwhat the situation. Hewas a great friend tomany who will be greatlymissed.

Joe requested that inlieu of flowers, that dona-tions are made to thebuilding fund of hischurch, King’s WayChurch, P.O. Box 306, Za-pata, TX 78076.

A memorial servicewill be held at King’s WayChurch, 508 Hawk St, Za-pata, on Saturday, June 9,at 2 p.m. Visitation withthe family will begin at 1p.m.

Funeral arrangementsare under the direction ofRose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonza-lez, funeral director, 2102N. US 83, Zapata.

JOSE JESUS ‘JOE’ REYES

Dec. 18, 1963-May 30, 2012

Olga A. Saldivar passedaway Friday, May 25, 2012,at her residence in Zapata.

Ms. Saldivar is precededin death by her father,Jose Rolando Guzman.

Ms. Saldivar is survivedby her sons: Isaac Jr. (Pau-la) Solis, Tomas Solis andRoberto Saldivar Jr.;daughters: Josefina(Adrian) Castellanos andKalejandra Saldivar;grandchildren: Isaac,Cosme Solis, Alberta Gar-za, Rey, Alejandro andAdrian Castellano Jr.;mother, Josefina R. Guz-man; brothers: Jose Rolan-do Jr. (Nidia) Guzman, Ro-gelio (Maria) Guzman andMartin (Maria) Guzman;sisters: Mary (Omar) Pre-zaz and Teresa (Olivero)Rocha; and by numerousnephews, nieces andfriends.

Visitation hours wereheld Sunday, May 27, 2012,from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. witha wake at 6 p.m. and a ros-ary at 7 p.m. at Rose Gar-den Funeral Home.

The funeral processiondeparted on Monday, May

28, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. for a10 a.m. funeral Mass atOur Lady of Lourdes Cath-olic Church.

Committal services fol-lowed at Zapata CountyCemetery.

Funeral arrangementswere under the directionof Rose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonzalez,funeral director, 2102 U.S.83, Zapata, TX.

OLGA A. SALDIVAR

July 31, 1963-May 25, 2012

Solis said he plans tostay retired and was con-tent with the voting re-sults.

“That’s what the peoplewanted,” he said. “That’sOK with me.”

Moya, a 43-year-old coun-ty attorney’s office investi-gator, garnered the fewestvotes with 647, accountingfor about 20 percent of thevote.

He said he wishes Lopez

the best in his new post.“It’s over and done

with,” Moya said. “Thepeople came out, they casttheir votes, and he cameout ahead.”

The Kingsville native

who moved to Zapata in1993 said this would proba-bly be his last go-around atpublic office.

(JJ Velasquez may bereached at 728-2567 or jjve-lasquez@lmtonline.com)

SHERIFF Continued from Page 1A

area.With oil and gas activity in de-

cline, revenues generated from thatsector have also dropped, so he saidhis focus is on creating morestreams of income for the county.

He believes the latest project hehas pushed in CommissionersCourt will do just that.

Vela is working to bring a kidneydialysis center to the county in or-der to alleviate the burden of itsresidents who travel to Laredo and

San Antonio for treatment.Commissioners are set to vote on

approving construction of the clinicat their next regular meeting.

He said that project will be hisfirst priority going into his nextterm.

Vela said he would continue serv-ing the community and keeping thecounty “on the right track.”

“In every decision I make, myfirst priority is the county and thetaxpayers,” he said.

Flores thanked the people whovoted for him.

“People spoke out,” Flores saidregarding the results. “Probably,they didn’t want a change, so that’sgood.”

Flores, despite losing his bid, saidhe would serve the community, too.

“I hope the best that can happenfor Zapata,” he said.

(JJ Velasquez may be reached at728-2567 or jjvelasquez@lmton-line.com)

COMMISSIONERS Continued from Page 1A

placed the monument on the SouthLawn, the most prime real estate formonuments at the Capitol, was a mir-acle.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, who was in-volved in passing the bill, agreed.

She credited Ramirez for workingto make that possible.

“It was because of Renato Ramirezand his success in raising the money,mostly in Laredo and Zapata, … (thatwe made) this dream a reality,” Zaffi-rini said.

State lawmakers and dignitariesfrom both Laredo and Zapata attend-ed the event.

Zaffirini urged everyone in theroom to go see the monument.

“I see people standing in front of itwith their mouths open,” she said, re-ferring to the awestruck crowd ofpeople who attended the unveiling.

The 525-square-foot monument de-picts wildlife, a vaquero and Spanishfamilies that settled parts of Texas inthe 1500s.

But Ramirez said he was mostproud of the educational return themonument could produce.

Through the project, experts inSpanish colonial history in Texas de-veloped a curriculum being taught inseveral Austin Independent SchoolDistrict elementary schools.

He hopes to continue the programinto the next school year.

(JJ Velasquez may be reached at728-2567 or jjvelasquez@lmton-line.com)

HONOR Continued from Page 1A

WASHINGTON — TheAmerican economy is introuble again.

Employers in the UnitedStates added only 69,000jobs in May, the fewest in ayear and not even close towhat economists expected.For the first time sinceJune, the unemploymentrate rose, to 8.2 percentfrom 8.1 percent.

It was the third monthin a row of weak jobgrowth and further evi-dence that, just as in 2010and 2011, a winter of hopefor the economy has turnedto a spring of disappoint-ment.

“This is horrible,” saidIan Shepherdson, chiefeconomist at High Fre-quency Economics, a con-sulting firm.

The job figures, releasedFriday by the Labor De-partment, dealt a strongblow to President BarackObama at the start of ageneral election campaignthat will turn on the econo-my.

They also deepened thepessimism of investors,who even before the reportwas released were worriedabout a debt crisis in Eu-rope with no sign of solu-tion and signs of a slow-

down in the powerhouseeconomy of China.

The Dow Jones industri-al average fell 275 points,its worst day of the year,and for the first time wasdown for 2012. The Stan-dard & Poor’s 500 index isalmost 10 percent below its2012 high, the traditionaldefinition of a market cor-rection.

Mitt Romney, who onTuesday cleared the num-ber of convention delegatesrequired to win the Repub-lican presidential nomina-tion, told CNBC that the re-port was “devastating.”

He called for an empha-sis on energy development,pledged to “kill” the healthcare overhaul that Obamasaw through in 2010 andsaid he would reduce taxesand government spending.The clearest fix for theeconomy, he said, was todefeat Obama.

“It is now clear to every-one that President Obama’spolicies have failed toachieve their goals and thatthe Obama economy iscrushing America’s middleclass,” said Romney, theformer governor.

Obama, in Minnesota,pushed a proposal to ex-pand job opportunities forveterans returning fromIraq and Afghanistan. Hesaid that the economy is

not creating jobs “as fast aswe want” but vowed that itwould improve.

“We will come backstronger,” he said. “We dohave better days ahead.”

Alan Krueger, head ofthe president’s Council ofEconomic Advisers, point-ed out that the country hasadded jobs for 27 months ina row, including 4.3 millionjobs in the private sector.

Underscoring the chal-lenge for Obama with fivemonths to go in the cam-paign, a May poll by TheAssociated Press and GfK,a research company,showed that 52 percent dis-approved of Obama’s hand-ling of the economy while46 percent approved.

Some financial analystssaid that the dismal job fig-ures put pressure on theFederal Reserve to take ad-ditional steps to help theeconomy.

The central bank has al-ready kept the short-terminterest rate it controls at arecord low of almost zerosince the fall of 2008, dur-ing the financial crisis, andpledged to keep it therethrough late 2014.

It has undertaken tworounds of massive purchas-es of government bonds,starting in March 2009 andNovember 2010, to helpdrive long-term interest

rates down and stimulatestock prices. Another pro-gram to lower long-term in-terest rates, known as Op-eration Twist, was an-nounced last Septemberand ends in June.

But low interest rates,other analysts pointed out,are not the problem. An in-vestor stampede into bondson Friday drove the yieldon the 10-year U.S. Treasu-ry note as low as 1.44 per-cent, the lowest on record.

Fed Chairman Ben Ber-nanke testifies next weekbefore a joint committee ofCongress, and the Fed nextmeets June 19 and 20.

Complicating the chal-lenge for the economy, taxcuts passed under Presi-dent George W. Bush willexpire after Dec. 31, as willa cut in the Social Securitypayroll tax. More than $100billion in automatic spend-ing cuts to defense and do-mestic programs also kickin Jan. 1. Less money inconsumers’ pockets nextyear and less spending bythe government would be asignificant drag on theeconomy.

Congress could extendthe tax cuts, but Republi-cans control the House ofRepresentatives, and theyhave little incentive to helpObama in the Novemberelection by doing so.

Job loss shows slow economyBy PAUL WISEMANASSOCIATED PRESS

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

CHICAGO — AnnaSchiferl hadn’t even rolledout of bed when shereached for her cell phoneand typed a text to hermom, one recent Saturday.Mom was right downstairsin the kitchen. The text?Anna wanted cinnamonrolls for breakfast.

Soon after, the 13-year-old could hear mom’s voiceechoing through the house.

“Anna,” Joanna Schiferlcalled, “if you want to talkto me, you come down-stairs and see me!”

Anna laughs about itnow.

“I was kind of being la-zy,” the teen from suburbanChicago concedes. “I knowthat sounds horrible.”

Well, maybe not horri-ble, but certainly increas-ingly typical.

Statistics from the PewInternet & American LifeProject show that, thesedays, many people with cellphones prefer texting overa phone call. It’s not alwaysyoung people, though thedata indicate that theyounger you are, the morelikely you are to prefertexting.

And that’s creating acommunication divide, ofsorts — the talkers vs. thetexters.

Some would argue thatit’s no big deal. What differ-ence should it make howwe communicate, as longas we do so?

But many experts saythe most successful com-municators will, of course,have the ability to do both,talk or text, and know themost appropriate times touse those skills. And theyfear that more of us are los-ing our ability to have — orat least are avoiding — thetraditional face-to-face con-versations that are vital inthe workplace and personalrelationships.

“It is an art that’s be-coming as valuable as goodwriting,” says Janet Stern-

berg, a professor of commu-nication studies at Ford-ham University in NewYork who is also a linguist.

In the most extremecases, she’s noticed morestudents don’t look her inthe eye and have troublewith the basics of directconversation — habits that,she says, will not servethem well as they enter aworld where many of theirelders still expect an in-per-son conversation, or at thevery least a phone call.

On today’s college cam-puses, the dynamic is oftendifferent. Forget aboutthings like “office hours,”for instance. Many profes-sors say they rarely see stu-dents outside of class.

“I sit in my office hourslonely now because if stu-dents have a question, theyemail, often late at night,”says Renee Houston, an as-sociate professor of com-munication studies at theUniversity of Puget Soundin Washington state.

“And they never call, ev-er.”

She recalls overhearingstudents chuckling aboutthe way people older thanthem communicate.

“My parents left me aVOICEMAIL. Can you be-lieve it?” one said, as if voi-cemail had gone the way ofthe dinosaurs.

This doesn’t sound sur-prising or particularlytroublesome to Lisa Auster-Gussman, who’ll be a se-nior this fall at the Univer-sity of Richmond in Virgin-ia. For her, there are sim-ply particular tools sheuses to communicate, de-pending on the recipient.

Email is for professors,yes. Phone calls and maybethe occasional text are forparents, if the parentsknow how to do the latter.

“But I don’t communi-cate much with older peo-ple. So much of my life isset up over text,” says Aus-ter-Gussman, who sendsand receives an average ofabout 6,000 text messages amonth.

Many are done as“group texts,” sharingmessages among eight col-lege friends who live in thesame building. The interac-tions are nothing morethan you’d say in a casualconversation, Auster-Guss-man says — but they areconstant when they’re nottogether.

Recently, for instance,she went to a movie andcame out to find 50 textmessages waiting for heron her phone.

Meanwhile, last summer,when she was away fromher boyfriend, she wentdays without talking tohim on the phone, but text-ed with him several timesa day.

“You’re not even reallytalking to him,” she re-members her perplexed fa-ther saying.

“But I felt like I was talk-ing to him all day, every

day,” Auster-Gussman says.Is there some aversion to

talking on the phone? Notreally, she says. It’s just apreference. In this day andage, it’s just what you do.

As Anna, the 13-year-oldin suburban Chicago, seesit: “There are people you’lltext, but won’t call. It’s justawkward that way.

“It’s not about anythingimportant — just a way tostay in touch with eachother.”

She and her closestfriends also send each oth-er videos of themselves andtheir surroundings — may-be of their dogs or some-thing new in their bed-room. “People would prob-ably say, like, ‘Why don’tyou just call them?’” Annasays.

Experts say there is, ofcourse, nothing wrong withcasual conversation andfun between friends. One

could argue that the con-stant banter — scores oftexts each day — keep peo-ple more connected. Theproblem, some communica-tion experts say, is that theconversation isn’t particu-larly deep — and thereinlies the problem, says Jo-seph Grenny, co-author ofthe book “Crucial Conver-sations: Tools for TalkingWhen Stakes are High.”

Though they may not al-ways be so good at deepconversations themselves,Grenny suggests that par-ents model the behavior fortheir children and putdown their own mobile de-vices. He says they alsoshould set limits, as Anna’smom did when she en-forced the “no texting topeople under the sameroof” rule.

Sternberg, at Fordham,asks her students to giveup one form of electronic

communication to see whatkind of difference it makesin their lives.

She also has them prac-tice simple tasks such asstanding up in a room fullof people and introducingthemselves. Many of themhate the drill, she says, butlater tell her how useful itwas, especially in the work-place.

Interestingly, Anna’smom, Joanna Schiferl, ismore worried about the ef-fect that texting is havingon her daughter’s writingskills than her social skills.Anna tends to rush herwriting and pays less atten-tion to grammar, or usesabbreviations she’d use ina text. It is a common ob-servation among parents.

So the key, experts say, isto recognize your weakpoint and work on develop-ing a wide range of com-munication skills.

Conversation losing out to text messages

Anna Schiferl, foreground, texts her mother Joanna in their LaGrange, Ill. Home on May 24. Statistics from the Pew Internet & AmericanLife Project show that, these days, many people with cell phones prefer texting over a phone call. It’s not always young people, though thedata indicates that the younger you are, the more likely you are to prefer texting. But many experts say the most successful communi-cators will, of course, have the ability to do both talk or text, and know the most appropriate times to use those skills.

Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast | AP

By MARTHA IRVINEASSOCIATED PRESS

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

OKLAHOMA CITY — AsManu Ginobili was finishing uphis answer to a reporter’s ques-tion, Tony Parker walked up be-hind him, put both hands on hisshoulders and provided his team-mate an escape.

“Great job, Manu,” Parkersaid, having heard hardly a wordof Ginobili’s five-minute, ques-tion-and-answer session.

After losing for the first timesince mid-April, it was time forthe San Antonio Spurs to face anentirely different set of questionsFriday with their Western Con-ference finals lead over Oklaho-ma City cut to 2-1.

No longer was the talk aboutwhether the Spurs — riding a 20-game winning streak less than 24hours earlier — were

See SPURS PAGE 2B

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs’ center TiagoSplitter (22) and the Oklahoma CityThunder’s guard James Harden (13)collide during the second half of Game3 of their Western Conference finalsplayoff series, Thursday, in OklahomaCity.

Photo by Sue Ogrocki | AP

Spursregroupafter big

lossBy JEFF LATZKE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Last night, Zapata said goodbye tothe senior Class of 2012. Among allthose departing seniors were manyathletes who hung up their uni-

forms for the last time.Zapata athletics was brimming with se-

nior athletes this year who put there besteffort forward on the field, court or track inrepresented Zapata in a positive way.

Over the past four years these seniorsgrew from scared little freshman to under-classman excited to be finally be playing atZapata High School to strong leaders by thetime they hit their senior years.

“It seems like yesterday they were walk-ing into ZHS not knowing what to expectand they are graduating with so muchknowledge and the ability to take what everthey face,” Zapata volleyball coach RosieVillarreal said. “I’m so proud of all their ac-complishments both on the field as well asacademically.”

These athletes should be lauded for tak-ing on high school sports. For some, pas-sion that they have for their sport waspassed down from their parents, for others,they were simply drawn to it when theywere younger.

“I feel like their mother, not wanting tolet them go,” Villarreal said. “It will beemotional tonight as they cross the stagelike if they are my own children. Thesegirls will be missed. They have set higherstandard for our program. Our athletesknow that they must continue the winningtradition set forth for the years to come.”

Thank you, senior Hawks and LadyHawks, for giving the Zapata communityfour years of great memories and for al-ways trying hard when you slipped on thatuniform.

Football: Manuel Salinas, Eddie Busta-mante, Danny Villarreal, Anibal Salinas,Eddie Gonzalez, Jose Vela, Rey Buruato,Ruben Sanchez, Alan Garcia, Luis Munoz,Ricky Prado, Ricky Benavidez, Julio Alva-rado, Victor Garza, Luis Ramon Oscar Te-niente, Beto Gutierrez, Xavy Paderes JustinGutierrez, John Lujan and Alonzo Barrera.Managers: Michelle Arce and Nikki Gonza-lez.

Volleyball: Shelby Bigler, Estella Molina,Jackie Salinas.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

Thank you, seniors

Zapata softball player Estella Molina graduated last night.Photos by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Zapata power lifter George Gutierrez graduatedlast night.

Zapata golf players (left to right) Ricky Prado, To-ny Gutierrez and Victor Garza graduated lastnight.

Hawks wrap upgreat careers

By CLARA SANDOVALTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See GRADUATION PAGE 2B

There are many activities achild can participate in to im-prove their athletic skills dur-ing the hot summer monthsahead. Summer is when the ba-sic fundamentals are taught tothe kiddos in order to get themready for the next level. Witheach passing summer camp,they improve.

The time to start is now. Giveyour children something to dothis summer. Send them to asummer athletic camp.

Athletic camps will continueto be announced over the nextseveral weeks by Zapata HighSchool coaches via the ZapataTimes, so stay tuned. The kid-dos who are doing nothing andjust lying around the houseshould really take advantage ofthis opportunity.

The cost for the camps isusually reasonable and notsomething that will break thebank, so don’t be scared to sendyou children to these camps.

Sending kids to out-of-towncamps can cost a few hundreddollars, which makes localcamps more reasonable alterna-

tive. The high school coaches

would like to give the kiddos ofZapata a start in the basic skillsbecause they know that teach-ing the fundamentals of a sportat a young age helps develop ayoung boy or girl into an excep-tional athlete by the time theyreach high school, greatly en-hancing their ability to com-pete in varsity sports.

Tennis was the first camp an-nounced this summer by coachRobert Alvarez. I highly en-courage all the kiddos who areinterested in tennis, whetherthey have played it or not, tosign up. They might come awayhoping to be the next SerenaWilliams or Rafael Nadal.

The elementary- and middle-school level is the time to ex-plore new sports kids aren’t fa-miliar with so they can identifywhat they want to play when

See CAMP PAGE 2B

Nothing to do?Enroll in a localsummer campBy CLARA SANDOVAL

THE ZAPATA TIMES “CLARA SANDOVALOVAL

The time has come to dust offthe rackets, the 4th AnnualHawk Summer Tennis Camp isset to begin this week at the Za-pata High School tennis courts.

“Tennis is a fantastic sportthat can be played by anyone, atany age, at anytime of the yearand anywhere in the world,” saidZapata head tennis coach RobertAlvarez. “Tennis is a lifetimesport that emphasizes fitness andintelligence.”

The camp will run for twoweeks, June 4 through the 7 andJune 11 through 14.

Ages 5 through 8 start at 9a.m. and 10 a.m. while ages 9through 11 will participate be-

HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS

Children participate in a Zapata High School tennis camp during the summer of 2011.

Courtesy photo

See TENNIS PAGE 2B

Tennis camp returns soonBy CLARA SANDOVAL

THE ZAPATA TIMES

tween 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.Each session is Mondaythrough Thursday.

Older children willpractice in the evenings.Incoming 6th, 7th and 8thGraders will attend from6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Incomingfreshman workouts lastfrom 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The cost of camp is 30dollars. All proceeds willgo to the Zapata HighSchool and middle schooltennis teams.

Registration will beginprior to the first sessionattended. For more infor-mation please contactcoach Alvarez at (956)500-1108.

The tennis camp forthe younger players willfocus on the fundamen-

tals of tennis through avariety of activities andgames. They be intro-duced to quick start ten-nis, which utilizes asmaller court and tennisballs that do not bounceas high and are easier tocontrol as well as a moresimple scoring system.

This enables theyoungsters to compete ata much younger age.

Older camp partici-pants will work to im-prove their groundstrokes, serves, volleysand consistency.

Various games anddrills will be emphasizedto improve not just aplayers’ game but alsotheir cardiovascular con-ditioning.

TENNIS Continued from Page 1B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Boys cross country: EdgarHernandez (salutatorian)Juan Rangel Rafael Bena-vides and Jose Resendiz.

Girls cross country: None.Boys basketball: Ricardo So-

lis.Girls basketball: Shelby Bi-

gler, Jackie Salinas, JackieGutierrez, Estella Molina,

and Ashley Garcilazo.Softball: Michelle Arce,

Jackie Salinas, Jackie Gu-tierrez, Gaby Chapa, EstellaMolina and Alyssa Solis.

Baseball: Manuel Salinas,Oscar Flores, Louie Ramon,Eddie Bustamante, Jay Gar-za, Javy Buruato, Gauden-cio Mata, Conrad Herrera,

Eddie Gonzalez and AlanGarcia.

Boys Tennis: Tony Mendo-za, Jaime Tejada and EliCantu.

Girls Tennis: Daniela Lopez,Jeanina Cabugos, Paola Jas-so and Dominique Wayda.

Girls Power lifting: KlarisaSalinas and Michelle Arce.

Boys Power lifting: GeorgeGutierrez.

Boys golf: Victor Garza, To-ny Gutierrez and RickyPrado.

Girls golf: None .Note: several calls were

placed to the boys and girlstrack coach but were neverreturned.

Zapata volleyball players (left to right) Jackie Salinas, Estella Molina and Shelby Bigler graduated lastnight.

Photos by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Zapata football and baseballplayer Manuel Salinas gradu-ated last night.

Zapata softball player and pow-er lifter Michelle Arce graduatedlast night.

GRADUATION Continued from Page 1Bthey reach the high-school level. Zapata, go tothese camps and take ad-vantage of a high schoolhead coach taking thetime to teach the correctfundamentals in theirsport.

This is also the time forthe coaches and the fu-ture Hawks and LadyHawks to get to knoweach other on the athletic

field and make newfriends.

Coaches know who iscoming up the ranks andwhat they need to teachduring the camps to getahead of the game.

So, next time your kidcomplains about beingbored this summer, signthem up for a ZapataHigh School summercamp.

CAMP Continued from Page 1B

invincible. It was abouthow San Antonio couldregroup following a 102-82 blowout loss in time toface Game 4 in OklahomaCity on Saturday night.

“Usually it’s easier torefocus after a loss thanafter a win. Players usu-ally have a tendency afterwinning a few games torelax or feel complacent.In the past, we’ve reactedreally well to wins. We’llsee now how we doagainst losses,” saidGinobili, held to eightpoints in Game 3 after to-taling 46 through thefirst two games. “Even ifwe react well, it’s a toughplace to win and they area great team.”

The Thunder limitedthe output of San Anto-nio’s best backcourt play-ers by deploying 6-foot-7Thabo Sefolosha to usehis five-inch height ad-vantage and wingspan tocorral Parker, and bychanging up their de-fense on the Spurs’ pick-and-roll attack.

Oklahoma City playerswho had been guardingthe ball frequentlyswitched to defend thescreener, and vice versa.After scoring a postsea-son-best 120 points inGame 2 and averaging109.4 during the winningstreak, San Antonio washeld to a season-low 82points in Game 3.

“They’re doing a lot ofswitching. They’re doinga lot of those, so they’reending up with a lot ofdifferent guys on a lot of

different guys,” Spursstar Tim Duncan said.“We’re going to have totake advantage of that.We’ve got to use the mis-matches that we get fromthat, and Tony and Manuwill be expecting thosekind of switches and un-derstand that they haveto attack it a differentway.

“Their length and theirsize and their athleticismis a huge advantage forthem, so we’re going tohave to move their bod-ies and move the ball anduse our passing to kindof neutralize that a littlebit.”

Oklahoma City coachScott Brooks refused topinpoint any of his ad-justments as the differ-ence-maker in whatcould be a momentum-changing win. He putmore emphasis on hisplayers giving maximumeffort and executing allof the defensive plans.

The changes bore somesimilarities to the previ-ous round, when he usedSefolosha, James Hardenand even the nearly 7-foot Kevin Durant to mixup his defense on KobeBryant.

Sefolosha made a bigsplash early in Game 3,recording four steals inthe first 3 minutes, andfinished with 19 pointsand six steals — both thebest of his career.

“It’s always good tohave everybody takingcracks at the good play-ers,” Brooks said. “You

can’t have one guy on agreat player to give himthe same coverage.They’re going to tearthat apart. ... Ginobiliand Parker are the bestpenetrating decision-makers in the league andthey do it where youdon’t think that theyhave opportunities toscore or to pass, and theymake those passes everytime.”

The changes got theSpurs out of that free-flowing offensive game,and Ginobili and Parkerboth suggested that SanAntonio ended up play-ing too much one-on-oneand without enough ag-gression.

“There are some waysto try to make them paya little bit more, so hope-fully we find them andwe have a clearer mindto read the situationsbetter,” Ginobili said.

As San Antonio’sstreak kept growing —eventually becoming thelongest ever to carryover into the playoffs —players frequently said itwasn’t their focus. Butnow that it’s over, they’dprefer if it was still goingon.

“Everybody wants towin every game. That’swhat you try to do: Youtry to win,” coach GreggPopovich said. “Theyplayed great and theyhad a lot to do with usplaying poorly, but no-body wants to lose agame in the playoffs. Youtry to win every game.”

SPURS Continued from Page 1B

DESTIN, Fla. — Collegefootball’s most dominantconference has its wish listfor a playoff.

The Southeastern Con-ference took an officialstance on a proposed four-team playoff Friday asschool presidents and ath-letic directors voted unani-mously to support havingthe four best teams play forthe national title. Theleague doesn’t want a play-off to include ties to confer-ence champions.

“If we’re going to go to afour-team playoff, which Ianticipate we are, it needsto be and the fans wouldexpect us to provide thebest four teams in thecountry,” SEC Commission-er Mike Slive said. “And ifpeople aren’t happy withthe current system of howwe rank them, then let’s goback and look at the sys-

tem that creates onethrough four.

“I’m very open to look-ing at how we would dothat, whether it’s a commit-tee or a different set of datapoints. But I think you goback to the source of the is-sue rather than dealingwith a byproduct of the is-sue and end up gerryman-dering who’s going to beplaying for the nationalchampionship.”

It makes sense that thepowerhouse league, whichhas won six consecutiveBowl Championship Seriestitles, would want a best-four format. That gives theSEC the greatest chance toget two teams into the tour-nament on any given year.

“I don’t think that votewas taken because it’s go-ing to be best for thisleague,” Florida athletic di-rector Jeremy Foley. “Itmay turn out that way, butit all goes in cycles. I thinkthe thought is if you’re go-

ing to have a playoff, youwant the four best teams.There wasn’t one comment,’Well, this is best for us,this is best for the SEC.’ Ithink the thought is that’swhat’s best for college foot-ball and a thought thatthat’s what the publicwants.”

It’s not whatother confer-ences want,though. The BigTen, the AtlanticCoast Conference,the Big East andthe Pac-12 all want ver-sions of a playoff thatwould guarantee at leastsome conference cham-pions a spot in the field.The Big 12 has sided withthe SEC.

“Everybody every nowand then has to give a littleto make something work,”Georgia president MichaelAdams said. “You’ve got toquit thinking, in my opin-ion, how the world has

been. You have to startthinking about the fact thatthis is a new day with anew set of rules.”

The SEC would like tosee the semifinal gamesplayed within the currentbowl structure and have

the championshipgame bid out sepa-

rately as a stand-alone game thatcould rotate be-tween some ofthe nation’s

largest venues —much like the NFL’s

Super Bowl. Separat-ing the semifinals and thetitle game likely would gen-erate more television reve-nue than packaging themtogether or keeping allthree in the bowl system.

Conference commission-ers and Notre Dame athlet-ic director Jack Swarbrickwill meet June 13 and June20 in Chicago to likely for-malize details of the pro-posed playoff. They would

then forward it to the Pres-idential Oversight Commit-tee, which will meet June26 in Washington, D.C., tofinalize the postseasonplan. The playoff would notbegin until after the 2014regular season.

Slive and school presi-dents talked about poten-tial outcomes from thosemeetings, but they declinedto say whether the SECwould accept anythingshort of a best-four format.

“We have some we likebetter than others,” Slivesaid. “There’s a lot of dis-cussions to be had, a lot ofthinking to be done. Weknow exactly what we’reinterested in doing and aswe move ahead we’ll makethat clear at the appropri-ate time and the appropri-ate place.”

The league also votedFriday to keep its currentfootball scheduling formatknown as 6-1-1, a move thatwill maintain longstanding

cross-division rivalries likeAlabama-Tennessee andAuburn-Georgia on an an-nual basis. LSU and SouthCarolina opposed keepingthe designated rivals, argu-ing that a more equitableconference slate would beto rotate non-division oppo-nents on a regular basis.

“I think every school hastheir own agenda, but atthe end of the day, it’swhat’s best for the SEC,”Georgia athletic directorGreg McGarity said.“There’s some quirks inthe model, but everybodyhas to make an adjustmenthere or there. But I thinkfor the good of the confer-ence and to make it workfor the best of the leaguethat was the consensus foreverybody in the room.”

Teams will play six divi-sion teams annually, haveone permanent crossoverrival and one game that ro-tates among the other sixteams.

SEC stakes official NCAA playoff stanceBy MARK LONG

ASSOCIATED PRESS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —History apparently trumpedgeography when it came todeciding the future hosts ofthe Big 12 men’s basketballtournament.

Incoming commissionerBob Bowlsby announced atwo-year ex-tension Fridaythat will keepthe event atthe SprintCenter in Kan-sas Citythrough at least 2016. Thedeal includes the right offirst refusal for the tourna-ment’s traditional dates be-yond the current contract.

That means the Big 12could head off moves byother league, such as theSoutheastern and MissouriValley conferences, to playfuture tournaments in Kan-sas City.

“The Sprint Center is agreat venue, the history ofthe tournament and the his-tory of the league in this ar-ea is rich, and we’re veryexcited about extending therelationship with KansasCity,” said Bowlsby, whowill officially take over ascommissioner later thismonth.

“This has been a tumul-tuous time over the last 24months for our conference,”he said, “but I think the an-nouncement of this agree-

ment, the settlement ofmany of the issues thatcaused it to be tumultuous,has caused us to have a ve-ry bright outlook.”

The Big 12 tournamentwas scheduled to be playedat the Sprint Centerthrough 2014, but therewere questions about its fu-ture with Missouri and Tex-

as A&M leav-ing for theSEC nextmonth. Somebelieved thatthe tourna-ment would

move to Dallas or Oklaho-ma City, two cities that havehosted it in the past, toavoid playing in a statewithout a current confer-ence member.

“Just remember, the firstpart of the city’s name isKansas,” said acting com-missioner Chuck Neinas,who has presided over theleague following DanBeebe’s departure last year.

Indeed, Kansas City hasbecome a battleground forMissouri and current mem-bers of the Big 12, particu-larly Kansas and KansasState. All of them claim ro-bust alumni support in themetropolitan area, and allhave expressed interest inplaying non-league gamesat the Sprint Center.

“I’m claiming that Kan-sas City is a Big 12 city. It’sbeen a great place for ourtournament,” Kansas chan-

cellor Bernadette Gray-Lit-tle said. “For us, it’s an ide-al location.”

Kansas State presidentKirk Schulz offered a simi-lar assessment, calling theSprint Center and the near-by College Basketball Expe-rience a “great venue forcollege basketball.”

The Big 12 tournamenthas been played in KansasCity 11 times since theleague’s inception, includ-ing the first seven editionsat Kemper Arena. The tour-nament returned to the cityin 2008 at the Sprint Center,and has enjoyed massivecrowds the past three years.

The top four attendanceaverages since the cham-pionship began in 1997 havebeen generated in KansasCity, along with seven of thetop eight. The average at-tendance for the five ses-sions this past year was18,979, second only to the re-cord 19,100 that attended in2000.

“This means a lot to ourcity, our sports fans and ourlocal businesses,” saidKathy Nelson, presidentand CEO of the Kansas CitySports Commission.

While there have beenrumblings that other con-ferences might be interestedin playing its tournamentin Kansas City, Mayor ProTem Cindy Circo said cityofficials have not had con-versations with any otherleagues.

Big 12 extends basketballpresence in Kansas City

By DAVE SKRETTAASSOCIATED PRESS

DENNISTHE MENACE

PARDON MY PLANET

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES | HERE’S HOW TO WORK IT:

JUDGE PARKER

REXMORGAN M.D.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE

HINTS | BY HELOISE

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

Dear Heloise: I have sev-eral pairs of clear pre-scription EYEGLASSES,and I was wondering if it’spossible to have the lensesdarkened on one pair tomake sunglasses. Whatwould the cost be? — Shel-ley in Des Moines, Iowa

Shelley, it IS POSSIBLEto have lenses darkened tomake sunglasses. Here aresome things to consider:

The glasses need to beinspected to make surethey are in good-enoughshape to darken the lens-es.

Some lens types, likepolycarbonate lenses thathave a nonglare or polar-ized coating, cannot betinted.

The cost varies, de-pending on the companyand the area of the coun-try. The costs we found af-ter calling around rananywhere from $15 to $30.

This definitely can bea better option than buy-ing a new pair of prescrip-tion sunglasses, especiallyif you have frames youlike. I’ve done this, andthey turn out wonderfully!

— HeloiseBAKING-SODA RINSEDear Readers: Hair

products such as shampooand hair spray that we use

regularly can cause build-up and alter the texture ofthe hair, but a pinch ofone of my favorite house-hold helpers, baking soda,can help! Mix in yourpalm with any regularshampoo, and wash andrinse as usual. Do thisjust once a week, and youcan help remove theshampoo and hair-sprayresidue. This is just anoth-er reason to love bakingsoda — it does so manythings! Sprinkle a bit onyour toothbrush and gent-ly buff away! — Heloise

UNDERBED STORAGEDear Readers: Does this

sound familiar? You havean old dresser clutteringup the spare bedroom orattic, and you need extrastorage.

Pull the drawers, add acaster to each corner ofthe drawer and roll it un-der your bed! Add bigknobs to pull the drawerout. Perfect for storingsweaters and other out-of-season clothes, shoes, etc.!— Heloise

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES Sports SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

LAS VEGAS — FloydMayweather Jr. surren-dered in a courtroom Fri-day to begin a three-monthjail sentence for attackinghis ex-girlfriend in Septem-ber 2010 while two of theirchildren watched.

Las Vegas Justice of thePeace Melissa Saragosacredited the undefeatedfive-division champion withattending weekly domesticviolence counseling ses-sions — including one theday of the May 5 fight sheallowed him to make — andwith beginning to meetcommunity service require-ments she imposed in De-cember. The judge thenwatched as Mayweatherwas handcuffed and takenaway.

Mayweather didn’t say aword.

“He’ll be all right,” May-weather’s friend, rapper 50Cent, told reporters afterarriving with Mayweatherand speaking afterward

with ring adviser LeonardEllerbe outside the court-house in downtown Las Ve-gas.

“It’s an uncomfortablesituation for everyone,” hesaid.

Ellerbe declined to com-ment.

Mayweather pleadedguilty in December to re-duced domestic batterycharges in a hair-pulling,arm-twisting attack on Jo-sie Harris, the mother ofthree of his children. Theplea deal allowed him toavoid trial on felony charg-es that could have gottenMayweather up to 34 yearsin prison if he was convict-ed.

“Everyone has a differ-ent version of the same sto-ry,” said 50 Cent, whose realname is Curtis James Jack-son III. He compared thedispute between Mayweath-er and Harris to the break-up of a marriage with chil-dren involved. Harris andtheir three children nowlive in Southern California.

“It’s no different than

anyone going through a di-vorce,” the rap star said,“and how your friends canbecome your vested ene-mies.”

Las Vegas police say thatas a high-profile inmate,Mayweather probably willserve most of his time awayfrom other prisoners in asmall solo cell in the high-rise Clark County Deten-tion Center.

Police released a state-ment Thursday saying vis-itation at the jail will besuspended Saturday for “in-mate reclassification andhousing changes.” OfficerBill Cassell, a departmentspokesman, said the expect-ed 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. lockoutwas not related to May-weather’s arrival.

Mayweather, who goes bythe nickname “Money,” ap-parently enjoyed some pam-pering Thursday while pre-paring for his jail stint. Heposted an image Thursdayon Facebook and Instagramshowing him getting a ped-icure. The caption read, “Athome enjoying my day.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, is led away by court marshall Ron Johnson, Friday, in Las Vegas, to begin a90-day jail term for attacking his ex-girlfriend in September 2010 while two of their children watched.

Photo by Julie Jacobson | AP

Mayweather begins3-month jail sentence

By KEN RITTERASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWARK, N.J. — In the next month orso, New Jersey Devils captain Zach Par-ise is going to strike it rich — some-where.

The 27-year-old Parise, who can be-came a free agent next month unless here-signs with New Jersey, is one of thoseplayers that every team wants. He scoresgoals, works hard, is a good skater and isrelentless on the ice. Nothing is more im-portant to him than his team and win-ning.

Want Proof?Take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals

against the Los Angeles Kings Wednes-day night. Parise showed talent andsomething surprising, a level of sneakin-ess few expected from an angelic-looking,clean-shaven boy scout skating alongsidea grungy-looking, unkempt group of play-ers in bushy beards.

With the game tied 1-1 early in thethird period, Parise deftly reached outwith his gloved hand while prone in thecrease and shuffleboarded a loose puckinto the net, setting off a celebration atthe Prudential Center in New Jersey.

Horns blared. Fans stood up andscreamed. There was merriment allaround.

Unfortunately for the Devils and theirfans, referee Dan O’Halloran quicklywaved off the goal, and replay in Torontoupheld his ruling. The Kings would go onto win 2-1 in overtime on a goal by AnzeKopitar.

Parise had a sheepish grin on his facewhen asked what possessed him to basi-cally throw the puck into the net behindKings goaltender Jonathan Quick.

“I saw the puck was going behind thenet and I wanted to keep it alive,” Parisesaid Friday after the Devils worked outfor about an hour in preparation forGame 2 on Saturday night.

As soon as Parise finished the sen-tence, he started laughing, knowing noone was going to buy the story.

“I couldn’t get my stick,” he added,“and I knew none of our guys could put itin at that point, soooo ...”

When somebody suggested he was hop-ing to get away with it, he laughed again.

“Maybe the video review wasn’t work-ing,” said Parise, who rebounded from amajor knee injury last season to score 31goals, the fifth straight year he hasscored at least 30 while playing a full sea-son. “I don’t know. I was just trying to

keep it alive. I didn’t have anything, so Iwas just trying to sneak it in.”

Sometimes that’s what it takes to winthe Stanley Cup, although this time itdidn’t work.

It was a good try though, and it’s thatkind of an intangible that will make Par-ise so attractive on the open market. NewJersey general manager Lou Lamoriellowill put together an attractive package tokeep Parise, but there will be severalmore offers headed his way. Some otherteams who may have interest include theHurricanes, Red Wings and the Wild, aswell as two teams Parise has met in thispostseason: The Rangers and Kings.

“Guys want to win, that’s all it is,”Quick said. “I don’t know if he thoughthe would be able to get away with it, ac-tually it was a pretty slick move if youthink about it. He did it pretty quicklyand I didn’t know if the ref saw it or not.But guys just want to win. They are do-ing whatever they can to win. I’d do thesame thing if I was down the other end.”

Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur saidit was nothing new. The three-time Cupwinner had seen his fair share of ques-tionable moves by offensive players in al-most 1,400 regular- and postseason gamescombined.

“Hey, you are trying to score a goal,”Brodeur said. “Maybe somebody blinks.”

The Kings didn’t. They complainedright away, and they knew they had acase.

“It’s kind of scary when they go to thereplay,” Kings defenseman Rob Scuderisaid. “You expect the worse but he wasright on the play. Certainly, we were allthrowing our hands up in the air makingmotions that he definitely used his hand.The ref was right on it, and made theright call.”

Devils’ captain Parisea relentless winner

By TOM CANAVANASSOCIATED PRESS

The New Jersey Devils’ Travis Zajac and ZachParise struggle with Los Angeles Kings’ Jona-than Quick, second from left, and other Kingsduring the third period of Game 1 of the StanleyCup finals on Wednesday in Newark, N.J.

Photo by Frank Franklin II | AP