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ZAPATA HOOPS HEAT UPLADY HAWKS STRIVE FOR PERFECTION, BOYS KEEP PACE, 1B

Zapata County sheriff ’s offi-cials say they received reportsof two New Year’s celebrationincidents regarding firearms.No one was harmed.

The first case was reportedat about 1:07 a.m. in the 1500block of Falcon Avenue. Accord-ing to Sgt. Mario Elizondo, a 41-year-old man was discharging afirearm during the New Year’scelebration in the Falcon vicin-ity.

Leeroy Salinas was arrestedand charged with disorderlyconduct. The man was taken to

the Zapata Regional Jail.“The Zapata County Sheriff ’s

Office would like the public tobe aware that it is a crime todischarge a firearm in a publicplace even if it is to celebrate aholiday,” Elizondo states in anews release.

A second incident was re-ported Tuesday when deputieswent out to a call at 9:50 a.m. atZapata South ElementarySchool. The caller had reportedthat a bullet was found in the

hallway.A security supervisor told

deputies that a .45 caliber bulletwas located on the hallwayfloor by the entrance inside theschool’s building. Officials reco-vered the bullet and logged it inas evidence.

According to Elizondo, therecovered bullet was a result ofpeople celebrating New Year’sby shooting into the air. Conse-quences of discharging a fire-arm include disorderly conductmisdemeanors to deadly con-duct felonies.

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

LAW ENFORCEMENT

This bullet was found in the hallway of Zapata South Elementary School onTuesday morning by school personnel, who then contacted Sheriff’s deputies.

Courtesy photo

Bullet found inside schoolBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

LEEROY SALINAS: Ar-rested Jan. 1 andcharged with disor-derly conduct.

WASHINGTON — The Obama ad-ministration wants to more quickly re-unite Americans with their illegal im-migrant spouses and children in amove long sought by advocates butpanned by Republicans as a way topush unpopular policies around Con-gress.

Currently, many illegal immigrantsmust leave the country before they canask the federal government to waive athree- to 10-year ban on legally comingback to the U.S. The length of the bandepends on how long they have lived inthe U.S. without permission.

On Friday, the Obama administra-tion proposed changing the rule to letchildren and spouses ask the govern-ment to decide on the waiver requestbefore they head to their home countryto seek a visa to return here legally.

The illegal immigrants would stillhave to go abroad to finish the visaprocess, but getting a provisional waiv-er approved in advance would reducethe time they are out of the countryfrom months to days or weeks, saidAlejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The purpose is “to minimize the ex-tent to which bureaucratic delays sep-arate Americans from their familiesfor long periods of time,” Mayorkastold reporters.

It currently takes about six monthsfor the government to issue a waiver,Mayorkas said.

The waiver shift is the latest moveby President Barack Obama to makechanges to immigration policy withoutcongressional action. CongressionalRepublicans repeatedly have criticizedthe administration for policy changesthey describe as providing “backdooramnesty” to illegal immigrants.

The proposal also comes as Obamagears up for a re-election contest inwhich the support of Hispanic voterscould prove a determining factor in anumber of states. The administrationhopes to change the rule later this yearafter taking public comments.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, on Fri-day accused the president of puttingthe interests of illegal immigrantsahead of those of Americans.

“It seems President Obama plays byhis own rules to push unpopular poli-cies on the American people,” theHouse Judiciary Committee chair said

IMMIGRATION

Obamapushes

forwaiver

President seeks keepingfamilies unified

By LUIS ALONSO LUGO AND AMY TAXINASSOCIATED PRESS

See IMMIGRATION PAGE 10A

Updates on continuing efforts and re-newals of an existing partnership are ontap for Monday’s Zapata County Commis-sioners Court meeting.

According to an advanced agenda, thecourt will hear an update and status re-port for the proposed county dialysis cen-ter, a first for a community with its fairshare of diabetics. Precinct 1 Commis-sioner Jose Vela said he and County

Judge Joseph Rathmell recently madesome progress on a potential site for thecenter: a building in north Zapata alongTexas 83.

“It used to be a restaurant,” Velas said.“The judge and I met with the owners,and they were open to the idea of selling.It’s an ideal place.”

Now the site of Champion Care, ahome health service provider, the build-ing has the wide open space a dialysiscenter would need.

“We said we’d be looking for some-

thing like that,” Vela said. “According tomy research, a (dialysis) clinic needsabout a 3,000 to 3,500 square-foot build-ing. This one has 5,400 square feet.”

Vela said he didn’t have confirmationas to the appraised value of the building,but, if approved, the purchase would thenallow the county to seek a dialysis centeroperator who would lease it, offering thecounty new revenue.

“You don’t lose money on a deal like

COMMISSIONERS

Looking at dialysis County wants old restaurant building for new clinic

By MIKE HERRERA IVTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 10A

Authorities determined a propane leak caused the explosionthat shook homes and shattered windows in a Central La-redo neighborhood and its surrounding areas late Monday.Meanwhile, nearby businesses were open Tuesday. Some

sustained significant damage from the blast.Fire Chief Steve Landin, who went by the fire location Tuesday

morning, said specialists evaluated the scene and determined that apropane cylinder leaked for a long time. The specialists also foundan ignition source.

“Once the propane leak found an ignition source, the whole build-ing exploded,” Landin said. “There were all kinds of rumors outthere that there was a bomb in there, that there was a grenade. Allof that is untrue. It was a simple propane leak that found an ignitionsource. In this case, it was a refrigerator (inside the garage). When

INCIDENT

EXPLOSION ROCKS NEIGHBORHOOD

ABOVE: Firefighters work to put out the remaining flames from Monday night’s explosion that was heard and felt for miles from the corner of CorpusChristi Street and Meadow Avenue. RIGHT: Debris from the explosion damages nearby vehicles.

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

Official: Leaking propanemeets refrigerator motor

By ANDREW KREIGHBAUM AND CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See BLAST PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

SATURDAY, JAN. 7Guerra Communications will pre-

sent “Parts & Labour,” a solo exhibitionof new work by David Berrones. Theartist’s reception is from 8 p.m. tomidnight today at the Guerra CentreReception Hall, 6402 N. Bartlett Ave.Refreshments will be provided, andspecial musical guest the REEN willplay live.

United Independent School Dis-trict will hold its first Let’s Move forScholars Benefit 5K Run or One MileWalk today, with onsite registrationoutside the Bill Johnson Student Activ-ity Complex, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane,beginning at 8 a.m. at $25 per person.Proceeds will benefit UISD studentswith college scholarships. The registra-tion fee includes a T-shirt, while quan-tities last, and a certificate of partici-pation. An awards ceremony will beheld following the run/walk at 11:30a.m. For more information, call 956-473-6286 or 473-6355.

SUNDAY, JAN. 8High school students interested

in joining the Area Health EducationCenter Youth Health Service Corps arewelcome to attend the next trainingsession. It is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to-day at the UT Health Science CenterLaredo campus, located at the cornerof Bustamante Street and Bartlett Ave-nue. The corps is a health careersrecruitment program that engages di-verse high school students as leadersin meaningful community service learn-ing that addresses community healthissues. Student volunteers are trainedusing a six module curriculum thatprepares them to serve in health caresettings that serve the underserved.For more information, call Eloisa Volpeat 712-0037.

MONDAY, JAN. 9Zapata County Independent

School District students will return totheir respective campuses today.

Tutorials for third, fourth andfifth grades at Fidel & Andrea R. Villar-real Elementary School will take placebetween 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., beginningtoday through Thursday.

THURSDAY, JAN. 12The Webb County Women’s Bar

will host the “Battle of the Politicos”today at Jett Bowl North. The eventwill also educate the public about thelatest voting requirements and register-ing people to vote.

FRIDAY, JAN. 13The Eagle Ford Shale Job & Ven-

dor Fair is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. todayat the Laredo Energy Arena, 6415 Sina-tra Parkway. It is hosted by the City ofLaredo, the Laredo Development Foun-dation and the Laredo Chamber ofCommerce and sponsored in coopera-tion with U.S. Congressman HenryCuellar, Texas Rep. Richard Raymondand the Eagle Ford Shale Consortium,as well as its partners. Job seekersneeding more information about howto prepare for the job fair should callWorkforce Solutions of South Texas at956-794-6500, extension 6491.

SATURDAY, JAN. 14A volunteer opportunity is availa-

ble from 9 a.m. to noon today for highschool students interested in making adifference in their community by clean-ing up the main park area. For moreinformation, call 712-0037.

MONDAY, JAN. 16Texas A&M International Universi-

ty offices will close in observance ofMartin Luther King Day.

TUESDAY, JAN. 17The Sue and Radcliffe Killam Li-

brary will return to its regular sched-ule, which is Mondays through Thurs-days 7:30 a.m. until midnight; Friday7:30 a.m. through 5 p.m.; Saturdays 10a.m. through 6 p.m.; and noon throughmidnight Sundays.

SATURDAY, JAN. 21The annual Crime Stoppers Me-

nudo Bowl Cook-off Contest is from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. today at LIFE Downs,on U.S. 59. The event includes mer-chandise and food booths, beveragesand live music, including that of MickCruz. For more information, emailcrimestoppers@bizlaredo.rr.com.

To submit a calendar entry,visit lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or email edito-rial@lmtonline.com with theevent name, date, time and lo-cation and a contact phonenumber

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, Jan. 7,the seventh day of 2012. Thereare 359 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On Jan. 7, 1942, the Japa-nese siege of Bataan beganduring World War II. (The fallof Bataan three months laterwas followed by the notoriousDeath March.)

On this date:In 1608, an accidental fire

devastated the Jamestown set-tlement in the Virginia Colony.

In 1610, astronomer GalileoGalilei began observing threeof Jupiter’s moons (he spotteda fourth moon almost a weeklater).

In 1789, the first U.S. presi-dential election was held.Americans voted for electorswho, a month later, choseGeorge Washington to be thenation’s first president.

In 1800, the 13th presidentof the United States, MillardFillmore, was born in Sum-merhill, N.Y.

In 1894, one of the earliestmotion picture experimentstook place at the Thomas Edi-son studio in West Orange,N.J., as Fred Ott was filmedtaking a pinch of snuff andsneezing.

In 1912, dark-humored car-toonist Charles Addams wasborn in Westfield, N.J.

In 1927, commercial transat-lantic telephone service wasinaugurated between NewYork and London.

In 1949, George C. Marshallresigned as U.S. Secretary ofState; President Harry S. Tru-man chose Dean Acheson tosucceed him.

In 1972, Lewis F. Powell, Jr.and William H. Rehnquistwere sworn in as the 99th and100th members of the U.S. Su-preme Court. An Iberia Cara-velle jetliner crashed into amountain while on approachto Ibiza Airport in Spain, kill-ing all 104 people on board.

In 1979, Vietnamese forcescaptured the Cambodian capi-tal of Phnom Penh, overthrow-ing the Khmer Rouge govern-ment.

In 1989, Emperor Hirohitoof Japan died in Tokyo at age87; he was succeeded by hisson, Crown Prince Akihito.

In 2006, Jill Carroll, a free-lance journalist for The Chris-tian Science Monitor, was kid-napped and her translatorshot dead in Baghdad. (Carrollwas freed almost three monthslater.)

Ten years ago: BritishPrime Minister Tony Blairand nine U.S. senators sweptinto Bargam Air Base in Af-ghanistan for an unannouncedvisit and promised Afghanleaders their full support inrebuilding the shattered coun-try. Yves Saint Laurent an-nounced his retirement andclosure of the fashion househe’d started 40 years earlier.Comedian Avery Schreiberdied in Los Angeles at age 66.

Today’s Birthdays: Au-thor William Peter Blatty is 84.Pop musician Paul Revere is74. Magazine publisher JannWenner is 66. Actress ErinGray is 62. Katie Couric is 55.Rock musician Kathy Valen-tine (The Go-Go’s) is 53. ActorNicolas Cage is 48. Actor DougE. Doug is 42. Actor DustinDiamond is 35.

Thought for Today: “Onecannot and must not try toerase the past merely becauseit does not fit the present.” —Golda Meir, Israeli prime min-ister (1898-1978).

TODAY IN HISTORY

MIDLAND — A soldier arrested at a Texasairport and charged with trying to bring ex-plosives on a cross-country flight was freedon bond Friday and allowed to return toNorth Carolina, where he is based.

David Counts, a federal magistrate judgein Midland, released Sgt. 1st Class Trey ScottAtwater on $50,000 unsecured bond, deter-mining the Fort Bragg-based Green Beretwas a low flight risk.

Atwater, 30, is charged with trying tobring explosives onto an airplane, which car-ries a 10-year federal prison sentence.

He was detained Saturday at Midland In-ternational Airport after authorities say offi-cers found C4 explosives in his carry-on lug-gage. Atwater grew up in Midland, had hisfamily with him when he was arrested.

According to court documents, Atwatertold FBI agents he’s a demolitions expertand had returned from his third tour in Af-ghanistan in April. He said his Army specialforces team always carried C4, which troopsuse to blow the hinges off doors or destroyunexploded ordnance, and that he didn’tknow it was in his bag when he returnedfrom his most recent deployment.

Agents said he told them the bag had beenin his garage until the trip to Texas, and thathe only used the bag’s main compartmentwhen packing.

Atwater was detained at the Fayetteville,N.C., airport on Dec. 24 when security agentsfound a military smoke grenade in his carry-on bag. Court documents don’t specifywhether investigators now suspect C4 was inAtwater’s bag then or whether he acquired itlater.

AROUND TEXAS

Patrol Officer and Explosive Ordnance Technician Dylan Hale, center, secures an explosives transport box containing mil-itary-grade explosives to the back of a vehicle on Saturday at the Midland International Airport. The explosives, confiscatedfrom a departing passenger, will be taken to a storage facility.

Photo by Heather Leiphart/Odessa American | AP

Soldier freed on bondBy BETSY BLANEYASSOCIATED PRESS

Marksman charged inshooting behind schoolEDINBURG (AP) — A compet-

itive marksman was charged Fri-day in a shooting last month inwhich two teens were severelywounded during basketballtryouts behind their South Texasmiddle school — a shooting thelocal sheriff portrayed as unin-tentional but “very reckless.”

Dustin Wesley Cook, who wasshooting targets with a friend onranchland adjacent to HarwellMiddle School on Dec. 12, was ar-raigned on a charge of second-de-gree felony aggravated assault.

Texan accused of trying toset girlfriend on fire

RICHMOND — Investigatorssay a Houston-area man hasbeen accused of dousing his girl-friend with a flammable liquidand trying to set her on fire —but the lighter failed.

The Fort Bend County Sher-iff ’s Office says Kerry Beal ofRichmond was jailed Friday.

Funeral Saturday, armedTexas boy shot by policeBROWNSVILLE — Family

and friends will gather thisweekend to remember a 15-year-old South Texas boy fatally shotby police who say the youth re-fused to drop a weapon.

The funeral and burial forJaime Gonzalez has been set forSaturday in Brownsville.

Texas fugitive turned overto federal authorities

GULFPORT, Miss. — Texas fu-gitive Steven Ray Milam is nowin the hands of federal author-ities.

Milam appeared in federalcourt Thursday in Gulfport toface 11 counts of bank robbery.The 44-year-old Milam, of Tyler,Texas, was denied bond by U.S.Magistrate Judge Robert H.Walker.

Each bank robbery chargecarries a penalty of up to 25years in prison and a $250,000fine.

Houston skyscraper setfor implosion Sunday

HOUSTON — A big boom hasbeen scheduled Sunday morningin Houston to bring down a 20-story building.

The former Prudential Life In-surance Building faces demoli-tion.

The structure is being razed tomake way for new facilities.

Ex-Texas computer teacherguilty of child porn

EL PASO — A former comput-er science teacher in West Texascaught with hundreds of childpornography images faces up to20 years in prison.

Prosecutors in El Paso say 46-year-old Joachim Rudolf Hees re-mains in custody after pleadingguilty Thursday to receipt ofchild porn.

Sentencing has been set forMarch 5 for Hees, who formerlytaught in the Canutillo Independ-ent School District.

— Compiled from AP reports

Positive jobs report failsto lift stocks

The stock market offered a re-minder Friday that even if theU.S. job market is improving,there’s plenty to worry aboutelsewhere in the world.

The unemployment rate fell inDecember to 8.5 percent, the low-est level in nearly three years.Yet stock indexes teetered be-tween small gains and losses allday as traders fretted about Eu-rope’s ongoing financial drama.

NASA questions Apollo 13commander’s sale of list

MIAMI — NASA is question-ing whether Apollo 13 command-er James Lovell has the right tosell a 70-page checklist from theflight that includes his handwrit-ten calculations that were cru-cial in guiding the damagedspacecraft back to Earth.

The document was sold byHeritage Auctions in November

for more than $388,000, some 15times its initial list price.

Dog found alive 4 daysafter Montana avalanche

BILLINGS, Mont. — A dog

that was feared dead after hewas swept away in a weekendavalanche that killed his ownershowed up four days later at theMontana motel where his own-ers had stayed the night beforegoing backcountry skiing.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

In this 1970 photo, Apollo 13 commander James A. Lovell Jr., foreground, speaksduring a news conference in Cape Kennedy, Fla., before the spacecraft launchedon its ill-fated journey to the moon. At center is astronaut Fred Haise.

AP Photo

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CONTACT US

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 Local THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

ASSAULTGilberto Hernandez Jr.,

25, was arrested and chargedwith assault family violenceright after midnight Wednesdayin Lot No. 3 of Eagle Street.The man was taken to the Za-pata Regional Jail.

Deputies went out to an“aggressive male” call Mondayat 8:46 p.m. in the 1600 blockof Guerrero Avenue. There, JuanRamon Gallegos, 32, was arrest-ed and charged with assault. Hewas taken to the Zapata Re-gional Jail. He was later re-leased to appear in court on afuture date.

Jose Eduardo Barron, 20,was arrested and charged withassault Dec. 31 at SeventhStreet and Miraflores Avenue.Deputies took the man to theZapata Regional, where he waslater released for a future courtappearance.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEFA 48-year-old woman re-

ported at 7:22 p.m. Wednesdaythat someone placed a waterhose into the exhaust vent ofher dryer in the 1900 block ofDel Mar Street.

IDENTITY THEFTA 31-year-old man report-

ed at 8:41 p.m. Wednesday inthe 1700 block of JacksonStreet that someone from outof state was using his identity.

POSSESSIONDeputies pulled over a

vehicle for several traffic viola-tions at about 8:30 p.m.Wednesday at First Street andTexas 16. After an investigation,Ronnie Lee Guerra, 34, and RoelRamirez, 29, were charged withpossession of cocaine. Ramirezwas additionally charged withunlawful carrying of a handgun.Both men were taken to the Za-pata Regional Jail. Ramirez hada combined bond of $10,000and Guerra had a $5,000 bond.

Arturo Barrera, 57, was

arrested and charged with pos-session of a controlled sub-stance after a traffic stop Tues-day at 17th Avenue and BrazosStreet. The man was held atthe Zapata Regional Jail on a$3,000 bond.

PUBLIC INTOXICATIONMarco Edixis Discua, 36,

was arrested and charged withpublic intoxication after a depu-ty saw him walking intoxicatedin the 700 block of RamireñoAvenue in the Medina Additionon Jan 1 at 1:10 a.m. The manwas taken to the Zapata Re-gional Jail, where he was laterreleased to appear in court ona future date.

THEFTA 21-year-old man report-

ed at 6:17 p.m. Wednesday atWest 21st and Elm streets thatsomeone stole a differentialfrom a 1972 El Camino. Theitem had an estimated streetvalue of $400.

THE BLOTTER

In his first foray intopolitics, Randall Ivey isseeking the office of Pre-cinct 3 constable. Ivey, anoilfield man of 40 years ex-perience, said he decidedto seek an elected law en-forcement office as a wayto change his life by help-ing others.

“I needed a change. Notjust for me, but to helpothers,” said the 52-year-old, who said politics hasinterested him for sometime.

“I’ll have something todo and at the same timehelp out,” he said.

Though he has no lawenforcement background,Ivey, if elected, will takecourses on the duties of a

constable, he said.“I shouldn’t have a prob-

lem with (getting versedon the laws),” he said.

More important to Iveythan experience is the wil-lingness to be visible andresponsive to county resi-dents.

“We never see anyonethat’s in office right nowcruising the streets thatneed to be cruised,” hesaid. “Over half the peopleI talk do didn’t know therewas a constable in Pre-cinct 3. They saw me putsigns up and said, ‘Consta-ble? We have a consta-ble?’”

Giving juvenile delin-quency as an example oflaw enforcement-relatedproblems in his precinct,Ivey said he, like other Za-patans, has to take extra

security measures.“I keep at least four

dogs at home. I’ve got cam-eras and everything,” hesaid, adding that this re-flects the level of uneasethe lack of a constable’spresence leaves behind.“We need more visibilityout there from a consta-ble.”

Besides incumbent EloyMartinez, Ivey faces an-other newcomer to law en-forcement, Erica Bena-vides-Moore. He said heplans to continue talkingto Precinct 3 residents andmaking his case for office.

“I’ve been in Zapata allmy life. We need a consta-ble that will be out therewith the people,” he said.

(Mike Herrera IV can bereached at 728-2567 ormherrera@lmtonline.com)

PRECINCT 3 CONSTABLE

Oilfield worker makesfirst foray into politicsBy MIKE HERRERA IV

THE ZAPATA TIMES

A federal grand jury re-turned an indictmentcharging a Mexican nation-al with three narcotic-relat-ed offenses on Wednesday.

Court documents stateJoel Hugo Robles Perez isbeing charged with posses-sion, importation and con-spiracy to possess with in-tent to distribute 100 kilo-grams or more ofmarijuana.

The case dates back toDec. 9 when in the courseof an investigation Immi-gration and Customs En-forcement agents were ledto believe that narcoticswere being stored at a

home in Zapata. ICEagents, assisted by U.S. Bor-der Patrol agents and Zapa-ta County Sheriff ’s Officedeputies, met with a manliving in the residenceidentified as Robles Perez.

When authorities ob-tained consent to search,Robles Perez told agentsthere was marijuana insidea white 2000 Chevy truckbearing Tamaulipas licenseplates parked in the back ofthe house, according to afederal criminal complaint.Agents corroborated thedefendant’s statementwhen they searched the ve-hicle and found 52 bundlesof marijuana with an ap-proximate weight of 595pounds.

Federal court recordsstate Robles Perez agreedto talk with authoritieswithout a lawyer. He toldagents he had picked upthe Chevy truck the nightof Dec. 8 at boat landingnear the Veleño Bridge inZapata. Court records statethat the marijuana was tobe transported to Laredo.However, Robles Perez didnot know the exact locationto take the marijuana, ac-cording to the documents.

Arraignment has beenset for Thursday at 11 a.m.in Courtroom 3C beforeMagistrate Judge Guiller-mo R. Garcia.

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

Fed grand jury indictsman on drug offenses

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A sheriff ’s office inci-dent report states depu-ties went out to a report-ed drunk pedestrian callat 10:49 p.m. Dec. 31 nearthe Aqua Bar near VeleñoBridge off of U.S. 83. Dep-uties later learned that23-year-old Ramiro Vala-dez Jr. was strugglingwith the security guard.

According to Sgt. Ma-rio Elizondo, Valadez re-fused to leave the prem-ises and attempted to

punch a security guard.Deputies arrived at the lo-cation and took Valadezinto custody, but not be-fore he resisted, accord-ing to the report. Theman was charged with as-sault of a security officer,a third-degree felony pun-ishable with up to 10years in the Texas De-partment of Criminal Jus-tice and a $10,000 fine.

Valadez is also facing aresisting arrest charge, aClass A misdemeanorwhich carries a maxi-mum punishment of oneyear in jail and a $4,000fine.

Deputies transportedValadez to the Zapata Re-gional Jail, where he washeld on a combined bondof $11,000 set by Justice ofthe Peace Fernando Mu-ñoz.

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

Alleged assault jails manBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMESRAMIRO VALADEZJR.: Faces twocharges from in-cident near bar.

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

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

Last week, I spoke onthe PBS “News-Hour” about Iraqis

who worked for our civil-ians and military beforewe left the country — andwho now face deaththreats because we be-trayed them.

I’ve received a slew ofemail from Iraqi interpret-ers who are in hiding be-cause Shiite militias havepledged to kill the “trai-tors” who aided the Amer-icans. I’ve also receivedemail from U.S. militaryofficers desperately tryingto get their “terps” out ofthe country. And I’veheard from ordinary, con-cerned Americans.

Visas neededAll ask the same ques-

tion: How can we get theU.S. government to issuethe visas it promised toIraqis who risked theirlives to help us?

I’m ashamed to admitthat the U.S. governmenthas abandoned these peo-ple. No one seems eager tobring more Iraqis intothis country in an electionyear.

President Obama hasfailed to keep his 2007campaign pledge to rescuethese Iraqis. A group ofconcerned senators, most-ly Democrats, includingPennsylvania’s Bob Casey,has made inquiries, butgotten no answers fromSecretary of Defense LeonPanetta or Secretary ofHomeland Security JanetNapolitano. Nor has apeep been heard on behalfof the “terps” from Repub-lican senators who backedour war in Iraq.

State Department offi-cials say they’re workinghard to expedite the visaprocess. Yet the number ofvisas for Iraqis whohelped us slowed to atrickle just when theywere most urgently need-ed, as U.S. troops quitIraq.

Nor has the Pentagonmade any move to rescueIraqis who worked withour soldiers. Many U.S. of-ficers moved mountains toget their Iraqi aides out,but others have beenthwarted. Moreover, indi-vidual officers can’t orga-nize the large-scale evac-uation that’s now needed.

Official figures showthat 39,000 Iraqis (includ-ing family members) arein the pipeline in the Di-rect Access program forIraqis who worked withus. Only 153 of these visaswere issued in December.There are about 15,000(not including family) inthe pipeline for the Spe-cial Immigrant Visa pro-gram. Only 50 SIVs wereissued last month.

More securityThe supposed reason

for the freeze is new secu-rity regulations imposedafter two Iraqi refugees inKentucky were accused ofhaving terrorist connec-tions. But these bad applesnever worked for Ameri-cans. Those who did wentthrough numerous securi-ty checks before gettingtheir jobs.

A few of the emails I’vereceived since the PBSshow will give you a feel-ing for the Iraqis we arebetraying.

Retired Col. RichardWelch, who served 77months in Iraq, is tryingto help a young Iraqi wid-ow who worked on a U.S.

base. She and her family“are getting direct threatsfrom JAM,” a radical Shi-ite militia. The widowcompleted all the formali-ties and should have longsince received her visa.Yet, her case has been onhold for a year. “This is abeautiful family, and Idon’t know what I will doif they are killed whilewaiting for approval,”Welch wrote.

‘Security reasons’Madeleine Marx, a New

York sculptor who volun-tarily helps Iraqi visa ap-plicants, emailed about atranslator and his familywho have been living inhiding for three years:“The translator, after hav-ing his SIV application ac-cepted completely (hand-shakes at the embassy,‘stand by for travel in-structions’), heard nothingfor 10 months, then hadhis approval withdrawn inAugust ‘for security rea-sons.’” Never mind thathe’d worked for two yearswith the U.S. military andhad outstanding recom-mendations from his offi-cers.

Bizarrely, the embassythen told the translator toreapply, then rejected hima second time, without ex-planation, even afterMarx’s two congressmenmade inquiries. “Now hedoesn’t want anyone toeven mention the U.S. tohim,” Marx writes. “Andeveryone is still in dan-ger.”

Broken promisesI’ve received a sheaf of

similar stories you canread on my blog atwww.philly.com/world-view. They all send thesame message: The UnitedStates cannot be trusted tokeep its promises to its al-lies. Afghans, take notice.

On Wednesday, I spokewith my former transla-tor/fixer/driver in Iraq,Salam Hamrani, who alsoworked for other U.S.media outlets and shouldhave been eligible for aU.S. visa. Threatened withdeath because he helpedU.S. troops finger radicalShiite militiamen in hisneighborhood, he fledwith his family to theGreek Republic of Cyprus.There, he was told by theInterior Ministry hewould soon be granted ref-ugee status. Severalmonths later, he hasn’t re-ceived it and is extremelyworried.

Salam asked me, if hisCyprus hopes fall through,should he apply here? Itold him, grimly, he’d bet-ter keep trying in Cyprus.It seems my country won’trepay those who riskedtheir lives to aid us.

Helping theIraqis whohelped us

By TRUDY RUBINTHE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER I’m ashamed

to admit thatthe U.S.governmenthasabandonedthese people.No one seemseager to bringmore Iraqisinto thiscountry in anelection year.

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

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

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

We want to assure our

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

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

ing or gratuitous abuse isallowed.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Many are returningto a sense of nor-malcy after the

joyous and celebratoryChristmas season.

While we’ve spent thelast few weeks feasting onjust about everything frompozole to buñuelos, nowour focus turns to anotherspecial and sacred time inthe universal Church.

Tomorrow, the CatholicChurch observes the Feastof the Epiphany, in whichthe three Magi, or threekings, visit the infant Je-sus in Bethlehem.

God’s loveThe Feast of the Epipha-

ny celebrates God’s lovefor all humanity.

Known in our Hispaniccommunity as el día de losreyes magos, this feasttells a story of faith, sym-bolism and change.

This story about thesemysterious visitors fromthe East serves as testimo-ny that the presence ofChrist in our world beck-ons us to follow the reveal-ing light of God’s truthand love.

Their story invites us toseek Christ in our life.

Time to learnWhat can we learn from

their pilgrimage andmeeting with Christ?

I see the Magi as greatexamples of stewardship.

What is stewardship,you may ask?

The word stewardshiprefers to one’s response ofgratitude to God for thegifts bestowed upon us.

Stewardship is livingout a commitment to beChrist-centered ratherthan self-centered.

Help to allProfound gratitude, jus-

tice and love become thefundamental motives forresponding to God. Every-thing that God has givento us is intended to bene-fit, not only ourselves, butalso the entire communityof mankind.

Therefore, our life is tobe lived in gratitude to-ward God by sharing ourtime, talent and treasureto build up the Churchand make our world a bet-ter place.

Centered on ChristThe Magi, then, person-

ified stewardship becausethey were Christ-centered.Their purpose for the vis-itation was to pay homageto the King of Kings.

They took the time tomake the long journey toand from the birthplace ofJesus.

Their talent guidedthem through their night

travels as they used theheavens to map theirquest and assist them inreaching their destination.

Follow the starThey recognized that

the star they followedwould lead them to a ser-vant king, one whose rulewould bring justice andpeace to the world.

And they brought withthem gifts of great symbol-ic value for this newbornking.

The gold symbolizedthat he was a king.

The frankincense sym-bolized His divinity.

And the myrrh symbol-ized his humanity.

The Magi came face-to-face with Emmanuel, Godwith us.

They understood thatHe was a servant kingborn among us in thehumble surroundings of astable in Bethlehem.

Having encounteredEmmanuel, their path inlife changed.

The Magi began a newjourney that would altertheir lives forever.

What can we learn fromthis story?

Like the Magi, a goodsteward makes a con-scious decision, carriedout in action, to be a fol-lower of Jesus Christ.This begins with a conver-sion. This change of mindand heart can be ex-pressed through a singleaction or series of actionsthat ultimately brings a

change to an entire way oflife.

It means committing tothe Lord.

Good stewardshipchanges how we under-stand and live our life.Those who practice stew-ardship recognize God asthe origin of life, the giverof freedom, the source ofall we have, are and willbe.

Good stewards becomerecipients and caretakersof God’s many gifts. Theyare grateful for what theyhave received and eager tocultivate their gifts out oflove for God.

Time to beginSo how can you start

being a good steward?Start by praying with

gratitude. Set aside sometime for prayer each day. Ifyou are new to dailyprayer, find 10 minutes inyour daily schedule andbegin with a prayer ofgratitude.

Then, put that gratitudeinto action. Do somethingin your parish or neigh-borhood to share your ma-terial blessings with thosewho are less fortunate.

Finally, make gratitudea way of life. Discoverways to thank others ev-eryday for their generos-ity and kindness.

Go forth and become agood steward!

We have all received agift from God and weshould use it to help oneanother. Todo Con Amor.

COLUMN

Time to observe the Epiphany

“JAMES TAMAYO

COLUMN

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 Local THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

A late Thursday nightsearch warrant served totwo people in their arrestsand led to the confiscation ofsmall amounts of narcotics,firearms and cash in the 500block of Zapata Avenue.

Deputies charged EloyAlaniz, 35, and Ana F. San-chez, 25, with possession ofmarijuana and possession ofa controlled substance. Asearch executed at about 11

p.m. yielded 33.3 grams ofcocaine, 68 grams of crackcocaine and 25.2 grams ofmarijuana.

According to Sgt. MarioElizondo, the contrabandseized has an estimatedstreet value of $5,800. Addi-tionally, lawmen also confis-cated two handguns, three

rifles and $8,604.Alaniz was being held at

the Zapata Regional Jail.Sanchez was in custody atthe Zapata County Jail. Bothwere held pending arraign-ment.

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

A search ofa house in

the 500block of Za-pata Avenue

late Thurs-day yielded33.3 gramsof cocaine,

68 grams ofcrack co-

caine and25.2 gramsof marijua-

na.Courtesy photo

Warrant yields 2 arrestsBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMESELOY ALANIZ: Facespossession chargesafter contrabandfound.

ANA F. SANCHEZ:Jailed after narcot-ics, firearms andcash found.

Deputies say a man collidedwith a vehicle occupied by afamily of four and dragged anoff-duty deputy who held tothe side mirror to avoid beingrun over.

At 5:44 a.m. Jan. 1, deputieswere called out to the vicinityof Seventh and 10th streetsnear Laredo Avenue for an ag-gravated assault incident. Re-sponding deputies found abloody, off-duty deputy lyingon the street with an injury tohis leg, among other injuries.

According to Sgt. Mario Eli-zondo, the off-duty deputy, an8-year veteran with the sher-iff ’s office, attempted to pre-vent a fight between two men.A 19-year-old man identified asHoracio Saenz Jr. allegedlystruck the deputy while flee-ing the scene in a Ford F350.

Elizondo added that the off-duty deputy was able to grabthe side mirror. He wasdragged against a brick walland a chain-link fence. Depu-ties say he managed to breakoff and throw himself awayfrom the vehicle to avoid get-ting run over.

Deputies eventually arrest-ed Saenz. Meanwhile, the off-duty deputy, a man in his late20s, was taken to the ZapataMedical Center for assistance.Elizondo said the deputy hadto come to Laredo to see a spe-cialist for possible torn liga-ments in his right knee and aleft shoulder injury.

According to sheriff ’s offi-cials, Saenz had allegedly col-lided with a vehicle occupied

by a family of four, includingtwo children. For that inci-dent, he’s facing four counts ofaggravated assault with a mo-tor vehicle, a second-degree fe-lony which carries imprison-ment in the Texas Departmentof Criminal Justice for up to20 years and a $10,000 fine. Thefamily was unharmed.

For hurting the deputy how-ever, Saenz is being chargedwith aggravated assaultagainst a public servant witha vehicle, a first-degree felonythat could be punished withup to life in prison and a$10,000 fine.

Saenz was taken to the Za-pata Regional Jail, where hewas held on a combined$60,000 bond set by Justice ofthe Peace Juana Maria Gutier-rez.

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

Incident injures deputyBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMESHORACIO SAENZ JR.:Jailed on $60,000bond in assaultcase.

U.S. Customs andBorder Patrol said thisweek that the skeletalhuman remains foundon the Mexican side ofFalcon Lake last week isnow completely a Mexi-can issue and will likelynot involve U.S. author-ities.

“Those remains wereon Mexican soil. It’s notour issue,” said Narcis-so Ramos, Laredospokesman for the agen-cy. “All we can really dois pass the info to theMexican authorities.”

On Dec. 29, profes-sional fisherman AltonJones alerted U.S. au-thorities that he’d spot-ted the remains on the

Mexican side of the wa-ter across from San Yg-nacio.

“The fishing on Fal-con was great,” wroteJones on his Facebookpage that evening. “Un-fortunately our fun wasovershadowed when wefound a dead body…allthat was left was a skel-eton.”

The site is 15 milesfrom where Coloradonative David Hartleywas last seen over ayear ago.

News of the findfueled speculation inColorado media and onthe blogosphere that theremains might be Har-tley. Neither Americannor Mexican authoritieshave said anything de-finitive on that point.

Fausto Aguilar ofMexico’s Protección Civ-il (Civil Protection, afirst responders unit)would only say a reporton the remains wouldbe available in a fewdays. This was the agen-cy which first handledthe remains.

Shortly after the re-mains were discoveredlast week, Zapata Coun-ty Sheriff Sigifredo “Si-gi” Gonzalez Jr. toldThe Zapata Times heknew only of the discov-ery but was waiting onmore information fromfederal agencies. Gonza-lez could not be reachedFriday.

(Mike Herrera IV canbe reached at 728-2567 ormherrera@lmton-line.com)

Agency: Skeleton isa Mexican issue

By MIKE HERRERA IVTHE ZAPATA TIMES

Two Texas A&M International Uni-versity professors believe what theworld needs now is more leaders …and that TAMIU students are ready tostep up to the challenge.

That’s why this spring they’lllaunch the TAMIU Leadership Initia-tive, a credit-bearing course sequencecombined with community servicethat will help students to develop theirleadership abilities in real-world appli-cations.

“The goal of the class is to awakenthe leadership abilities of students andto show them that each one of them isa leader and capable, in different ways,of making this a better world,” ex-plained Carol Waters, TAMIU associatevice president for Academic Enrich-ment and International Development.

“The university’s recent experienceswith the Harvard Kennedy School’sCenter for Public Leadership and itsLatino Leadership Initiative for ourstudents inspired us to create a localleadership development experience.Through this initiative, our students

can discover and enhance their leader-ship skills, ” Waters explained.

Barbara Baker, of University Col-lege, will join Waters in teaching theelective course, “Foundations of Lead-ership.”

The class will be delivered as a ser-vice-learning experience, said MarcelaUribe, TAMIU program director of ser-vice learning who is also assisting theinitiative.

“This class follows a service-learn-ing model. For the most part, servicelearning is an educational experiencein which students participate in a cred-it-bearing course paired with an orga-nized community service. Students inthis class will partner with Big Broth-ers, Big Sisters to become mentors tochildren at risk,” explained Uribe.

Waters said students will also beable to earn a Certificate in Interna-tional Leadership.

“Completion of the course and fourother designated courses will enablestudents to earn a Certificate in Inter-national Leadership. We are also devel-oping a long-term minor in Leader-ship,” Waters said.

New course set to startSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES Entertainment SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

AUSTIN — Enough withall the looking back at2011. Let’s see what’s aheadfor the movies in 2012.

First of all, get ready forre-releases of past Holly-wood hits in 3-D, plus a lotof sequels and reboots.

The first 3-D re-releasecomes on Friday, with theanimated “Beauty and theBeast,” followed by the 3-Dversion of “Star Wars: Epi-sode 1 — The PhantomMenace” on Feb. 10.

But the biggest re-re-lease will probably be the3-D version of the 1997blockbuster “Titanic” onApril 6.

If that doesn’t get youdreaming of popcorn, thenHollywood has a bunch ofsurprisingly high-profilemovies in the first quarter,and many more in the sec-ond quarter.

“The Woman inBlack” (Feb. 3), starringDaniel Radcliffe as a younglawyer who discovers amean ghost in a small vil-lage.

“Journey 2: The Mys-terious Island” (Feb. 10),with Josh Hutcherson,Dwayne Johnson and Mi-chael Caine starring in afamily action tale aboutthe search for a missinggrandfather.

“Safe House” (Feb.10), with Denzel Washing-ton and Ryan Reynoldsteaming up in a tale abouta fugitive and a CIA agent.

“John Carter” (March9), a live-action film fromdirector Andrew Stanton,who helmed “Wall-E” and“Finding Nemo,” with Tay-lor Kitsch of “Friday NightLights” as a Confederatewho ends up in anotherworld.

“21 Jump Street”(March 16), starring Chan-ning Tatum, Jonah Hilland Ice Cube.

“The Hunger Games”(March 23), possibly one ofthe biggest hits of early2012, with Jennifer Law-rence, Josh Hutchersonand Liam Hemsworth asyoung people who areforced to fight to the deathon live television.

“Wrath of the Titans”(March 30), starring SamWorthington, Liam Neesonand Rosamund Pike, withWorthington playing Per-seus, who goes to the un-derworld to rescue Zeus(Neeson).

And that’s just the tip ofthe iceberg. Here are a fewmore, listed by openingdates, which are subject tochange.

Friday“Contraband.” Mark

Wahlberg stars in thisthriller about drugs andmoney in Central America.

“Joyful Noise.” QueenLatifah and Dolly Partonteam up as two choir mem-bers who differ on how towin a national champion-ship.

“The Divide.” Survivorsof a nuclear attack turnagainst each other as sup-plies dwindle, with LaurenGerman and MichaelBiehn in starring roles.

Jan. 20“Underworld: The Awak-

ening.” Kate Becksinsaleand Michael Ealy star inthis sci-fi sequel.

“Red Tails.” Bryan Cran-ston, Cuba Gooding Jr. andTerrence Howard are fea-tured in this tale aboutAfrican-American pilots inthe Tuskegee training pro-gram.

“Haywire.” Steven So-derbergh directs EwanMcGregor, Michael Fass-bender and Gina Carano inthis tale about a betrayedblack ops soldier.

Jan. 27“One for the Money.”

Katherine Heigl stars inthis comedy as StephaniePlum, who works at hercousin’s bail-bond businessand ends up on the trail ofa man from her romanticpast.

“Man on a Ledge.” A po-lice psychologist tries totalk down a man who’sthreatening to jump from aManhattan rooftop. SamWorthington, ElizabethBanks and Jamie Bell star.

“The Grey.” Liam Nee-son and Dermot Mulroneystar in this Alaska-set sto-ry about an oil drillingteam that tries to surviveafter a plane crash in thewilderness.

Feb. 3

“W.E.” This historicaldrama about King Ed-ward’s involvement withWallis Simpson has beengetting middling reviews.Madonna directs.

“Chronicle.” Three highschool friends gain super-powers and trouble ensues.With Michael B. Jordan,Michael Kelly and DaneDeHaan.

“Big Miracle.” A report-er and a Greenpeace volun-teer try to save the whalesin Alaska. With Drew Bar-rymore and John Krasin-ski.

Feb. 10“The Vow.” Rachel McA-

dams loses her memory af-ter a car accident, and hus-band Channing Tatumstruggles to win her back.

Feb. 17“This Means War.” CIA

operatives fight for the loveof the same woman in thisromantic comedy. WithChris Pine, Tom Hardy andReese Witherspoon.

“Ghost Rider: Spirit ofVengeance.” Nicolas Cagehops on his motorcycle andbattles the devil.

Feb. 24“Good Deeds.” Director

Tyler Perry stars, withThandie Newton and Ga-brielle Union.

“Wanderlust.” A down-on-their-luck Manhattancouple, Jennifer Anistonand Paul Rudd, head for arural free-love commune.

“Gone.” Amanda Sey-fried and Wes Bentley starin this thriller about kid-nappings and serial killers.

March 2“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.”

An animated tale about a12-year-old boy who’s try-ing to win the girl of hisdreams.

“Hansel and Gretel:Witch Hunters.” It has

been 15 years since poorHansel (Jeremy Renner)and Gretel (Gemma Arter-ton) had that unfortunateincident at their ginger-bread house. Now, they’retaking vengeance on witch-es.

March 9“Think Like a Man.” A

battle of the sexes, withGabrielle Union and ChrisBrown.

“Playing the Field.” Ge-rard Butler stars as a for-mer professional athletewho coaches his son’s soc-cer team and thinks he canscore with some moms.

“Silent House.” Eliza-beth Olsen starts goingmad while trapped insideher family’s lakeside re-treat.

“The Raven.” John Cu-sack and Alice Eve star inthis imaginary account ofthe last days of Edgar Al-lan Poe.

March 16“Mirror Mirror.” An evil

queen battles with an ex-iled princess, starring LilyCollins, Julia Roberts andArmie Hammer.

“A Thousand Words.”Eddie Murphy learns a les-son after stretching thetruth with a spiritual guru.

March 30“The Pirates! Band of

Misfits.” Hugh Grant andSalma Hayek lend theirvoices to this animatedtale.

April 6“American Reunion.”

This romantic comedy fea-tures the stars of “Ameri-can Pie” — Jason Biggs,Alyson Hannigan andSeann William Scott.

“The Cold Light of Day.”Thriller. Henry Cavill un-covers a conspiracy whiletrying to save his kid-napped family. With Bruce

Willis and SigourneyWeaver.

April 13“Cabin in the Woods.”

Chris Hemsworth andRichard Jenkins star inthis tale about bad thingshappening in a cabin.

“The Three Stooges.”Moe, Larry and Curly endup on a reality TV show.With Sean Hayes, ChrisDiamantopoulos, Will Sas-so.

“Bullet to the Head.”Sylvester Stallone tries tomake a comeback in thiscrime thriller with JasonMomoa and Christian Slat-er.

April 20“House at the End of the

Street.” A horror taleabout moving to the wrongtown. With Jennifer Law-rence, Elisabeth Shue andMax Thieriot.

“The Lucky One.” ZacEfron survives three toursin Iraq and returns hometo find Taylor Schilling.

“Scary Movie 5.” Anoth-er spoof. Beware.

“Seeking a Friend forthe End of the World.” Aromantic comedy with Kei-ra Knightley, Steve Carelland Connie Britton.

“The Wettest County.”Tom Hardy, Guy Pearceand Jessica Chastain livein bootlegging Virginiaduring the Depression.

April 27“The Five-Year Engage-

ment.” A comedy about re-luctant lovers Jason Segeland Emily Blunt.

“Safe.” Jason Stathamgets mad at the Russian

Mafia, corrupt New York-ers and Chinese Triads.Dude needs to chill.

May 4“The Avengers.” Robert

Downey Jr., Scarlett Jo-hansson and Chris Evanshelp save Earth from extra-terrestrials.

May 11“What to Expect When

You’re Expecting.” A moth-er-to-be comedy with Cam-eron Diaz and Jennifer Lo-pez.

“Dark Shadows.” John-ny Depp goes Goth again,this time as Barnabas Col-lins of TV fame. MichellePfeiffer, Jonny Lee Millerand Eva Green co-star.

“The Dictator.” SachaBaron Cohen tries to out-rage us again by playing aheroic dictator who battlesdemocracy.

May 18“Battleship.” Peter Berg

directs this science-fictiontale starring AlexanderSkarsgard, Brooklyn Deck-er and Liam Neeson.

May 25“Men in Black 3.” Tom-

my Lee Jones and WillSmith return to their big-

budget franchise.June 1“Rock of Ages.” In 1987

Los Angeles, people chasetheir dreams. Lots of bignames join the chase, in-cluding Tom Cruise, BryanCranston, Julianne Hough,Paul Giamatti, CatherineZeta-Jones, Alec Baldwinand Russell Brand.

“Snow White and theHuntsman.” Kristen Stew-art and Chris Hemsworthtry to turn the tables onthe Evil Queen.

June 8“Madagascar 3: Europe’s

Most Wanted.” Alex the Li-on, Marty the Zebra, Mel-man the Giraffe and Gloriathe Hippo have another ad-venture.

“Prometheus.” DirectorRidley Scott has created avery “Alien” look for thisscience-fiction tale starringCharlize Theron, NoomiRapace and Patrick Wil-son.

June 15“I Hate You, Dad.” Or is

it titled “Donny’s Boy”?Stay tuned. Things change,but Adam Sandler andJames Caan star in thiscomedy.

“Jack the Giant Killer.”The peace between menand giants is threatened inthis fantasy. There’s ayoung farmer. There’s akidnapped princess. Andthere’s Ewan McGregor.

June 22“Brave.” Yet another

princess learns to be bravein this animated tale thatfeatures a beastly curse.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vam-pire Hunter.” Yep, you readthat right. Honest Abe(Benjamin Walker) finds alink between vampires andslave owners and gets madwhen they kill his mama.

June 29“G.I. Joe: Retaliation.”

Channing Tatum, DwayneJohnson and Bruce Willisshow their macho sideagain.

And for your planninglater in the year:

July 3: “The AmazingSpider-Man,” with AndrewGarfield and Emma Stone.

July 13: “Ted,” starringMark Wahlberg, GiovanniRibisi and Mila Kunis in atale about a teddy bearthat comes to life.

July 20: “The DarkKnight Rises,” with Chris-tian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman.

July 27: “NeighborhoodWatch,” a comedy withBen Stiller and VinceVaughn.

(Charles Ealy writes forthe Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: cea-ly@statesman.com.)

There’s lots of variety in the year’s movie crop

Dolly Parton, left, and Queen Latifah appear onstage at “Vh1 Divas Celebrates Soul,” on Dec. 18 in New York. Latifah and Parton team up astwo choir members who differ on how to win a national championship in their new movie, “Joyful Noise,” which opens Friday.

Photo by Evan Agostini | AP

By CHARLES EALYCOX NEWSPAPERS

SÁBADO 7 DE ENEROLAREDO — Hockey: La-

redo Bucks recibe a AllenAmericans en Laredo EnergyArena a las 7 p.m. Hoy es laNoche de “Girl Scout CookieKickoff”.

LAREDO — GuerraCommunications presentará“Parts & Labour”, una exhibi-ción de David Berrones, apartir delas 8 p.m. en GuerraCentre Reception Hall, 6402avenida N. Bartlett. Habrá re-frigerios. Música en vivo acargo de REEN.

NUEVO LAREDO, Méxi-co — Estación Palabra presen-ta “Bazar de Arte” a las 12p.m. Habrá venta pinturas, ar-tículos de material reciclable yantigüedades.

NUEVO LAREDO, Méxi-co — Estación Palabra presen-ta “Lecturas Antes de Abor-dar” a la 1 p.m. Recordandoel aniversario luctuoso deJuan Rulfo.

NUEVO LAREDO, Méxi-co — Estación Palabra presen-ta “Festival Infantil” a las 2p.m. El tema de hoy ‘Reyes yMagos’. Habrá cuenta cuentos,actividades dinámicas y rosca.

DOMINGO 8 DE ENEROLAREDO — Hockey: La-

redo Bucks recibe a AllenAmericans a las 4 p.m. en elLaredo Energy Arena.

LUNES 9 DE ENEROLAREDO — El progra-

ma VITA (Volunteer IncomeTax Assistance) invita a parti-cipar en el EntrenamientoGratuito para Impuestos. Ha-brá dos sesiones, del 9 al 13de enero, en horario de 6p.m. a 9 p.m.; y del 14 y 21de enero, en horario de 8:30a.m. a 5 p.m. Inscríbase visi-tando: www.laredofesc.org

MARTES 10 DE ENEROMcALLEN — La oficina

de la Contralora de Texas Su-san Combs ofrece un semina-rio gratuito en español acercade los impuestos estatales enLaredo el día de hoy de 6p.m. a 8 p.m., en la oficinaregional de la Contraloría enMcAllen, ubicada en 3231North McColl Road.

BROWNSVILLE — Laoficina de la Contralora de Te-xas Susan Combs ofrece unseminario gratuito en españolacerca de los impuestos esta-tales en Laredo el día de hoyde 6 p.m. a 8 p.m., en la ofi-cina regional de la Contraloríaen Brownsville, localizada en1900 N Expressway, Suite C-1.

LAREDO — WWESmackdown Live en LaredoEnergy Arena a las 7 p.m. Bo-letos desde 16 dólares.

MIÉRCOLES 11 DE ENEROLAREDO — La oficina

de la Contralora de Texas Su-san Combs ofrece un semina-rio gratuito en español acercade los impuestos estatales enLaredo el día de hoy de 6p.m. a 8 p.m., en la oficinaregional de la Contraloría enLaredo, 1202 E. Del Mar Blvd.# 1. Más información llaman-do al (956) 722-2859.

VIERNES 13 DE ENEROLAREDO — Feria de

Trabajo del “Eagle Ford Shaleand Vendor Fair” de 9 a.m. a4 p.m. en Laredo Energy Are-na, 6700 Arena Boulevard,auspiciado por la Ciudad deLaredo, Laredo DevelopmentFoundation y Laredo Chamberof Commerce.

SÁBADO 14 DE ENEROLAREDO — ‘The Cani-

jos of Comedy Tour’ con Ray-mond Orta es hoy en el Audi-torio del Laredo Civic Center.Abrirán: Mario “Superstar” Sa-lazar y Fabian Anthony Rivera.Anfitrión: Berto Garcia. Laspuertas abren a las 7 p.m. yel show inicia a las 8 p.m.

LAREDO — Un espectá-culo de comedia, estelarizadopor Sandra Valls y Sara Con-treras se realizará en LaredoLittle Theatre a las 8 p.m. y10:30 p.m. Costo: 25 dólares.

Agendaen Breve

Zfrontera PÁGINA 7ASÁBADO 7 DE ENERO DE 2012

Las ciudades en la fron-tera chica de Tamaulipasfueron reasignadas a unanueva jurisdicción de sa-lud. Anteriormente perte-necían a la JurisdicciónSanitaria No. V con baseen Nuevo Laredo, México.

A partir de este mes, res-identes en Nueva CiudadGuerrero, Ciudad Mier yMiguel Alemán, recibiránservicios en la nueva Juris-

dicción Sanitaria No. IX.“La creciente demanda

de servicios de salud exigíaeficiente y mejor servicio”,explicó en un comunicadoel Secretario de Salud deTamaulipas, Norberto Tre-viño García-Manzo. “Fue

necesario ampliar de ochoa 12 la estructura de las ju-risdicciones sanitarias”.

La Jurisdicción Sanitar-ia No. IX con base en Mi-guel Alemán atenderá a al-rededor de 33,000 habi-tantes de la región

ribereña.A decir del Jefe de la Ju-

risdicción Sanitaria No. V,Jaime Emilio GutiérrezSerrano, la asignación fueoportuna y bien planeada.

Uno de los objetivos de laSecretaría de Salud es que

las 12 Jurisdicciones Sani-tarias incrementen su tra-bajo para disminuir padeci-mientos como el cáncer, sa-rampión, dengue y laobesidad.

Gutiérrez explicó que laJurisdicción Sanitaria No.V atenderá exclusivamentea la población de Nuevo La-redo con los 15 módulos desalud, y sus dos hospitales.

Otras jurisdicciones quese integraron a la red, fue-ron Valle Hermoso, Padillay Altamira.

CENTRALIZAN SERVICIO PARA MIGUEL ALEMÁN, GUERRERO Y CIUDAD MIER

Nueva área de saludPOR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA La Jurisdicción Sanitaria No. IX con base en Miguel Alemán atenderá a alrededor de 33,000 habitantes de la región ribereña.

MONTERREY, México —La policía del norte de Méx-ico detuvo a un presuntomiembro del cartel de LosZetas como sospechoso deser el autor intelectual delataque incendiario contraun casino que dejó 52 muer-tos en Monterrey.

El vocero de seguridadestatal Jorge Domene infor-mó el viernes que BaltazarSaucedo Estrada era busca-do por el gobierno por elataque al Casino Royale el

25 de agosto y por él se ofre-cía una recompensa de 15millones de pesos (un mil-lón de dólares),

Saucedo, de 38 años, fuepresentado el viernes a laprensa. Reconoció haberparticipado en el ataque in-cendiario en el Casino Roy-ale y otros crímenes en con-fesiones que son rutina y notienen necesariamente val-idez en la corte.

Domene dijo que el dete-nido también le dijo a lapolicía que el motivo delataque es que los dueños delcasino no pagaron una ex-

torsión, la principal hipóte-sis de los investigadores.

Informó que la policía de-tuvo a Saucedo y a otrohombre el jueves en lascalles de Monterrey al de-tectar una actitud sospecho-sa. Los hombres intentaronhuir pero chocaron contraotro vehículo y fueron cap-turados.

Horas más tarde, las au-

toridades reconocieron lashuellas dactilares y rasgosfaciales y se percataron deque se trataba del presuntocriminal, también conocidocomo el “mataperros”.

Las autoridades han ar-restado a 17 de los 32 sospe-chosos del ataque incendia-rio. Pero ninguno ha sidojuzgado en la corte aún.

Soldados capturaron enoctubre a un importante lu-garteniente de Los Zetas alque se le acusa de haber or-denado el ataque. El líder delos Zetas, Heriberto Lazca-no, también es buscado por

este crimen.El incendio en el Casino

Royale fue uno de los peoresataques que ha sufrido Méx-ico desde que en 2006 se lan-zó una ofensiva contra elnarcotráfico y que ha deja-do más de 35.000 muertos.

Hombres armados ingre-saron, rociaron gasolina yprendieron fuego al edificio.El fuego atrapó y asfixió adecenas de jugadores y em-pleados. La mayoría de lasvíctimas eran mujeres quejugaban bingo, que estabanen las máquinas tragamone-das o que almorzaban.

Capturan a presunto autor intelectualPOR PORFIRIO IBARRA

ASSOCIATED PRESS BALTAZAR SAUCEDOESTRADA: Acusadopor ataque deagosto del 2011.

Reconociendo que elcomprender las responsa-bilidades de los impuestosestatales puede tornarseen una tarea desalentadorapara los comerciantes, laContraloría de Texas anun-ció seminarios gratuitosen español en Laredo,McAllen y Brownsvilleacerca del tema.

La Contralora Estatal,Susan Combs dijo en uncomunicado de prensa quelos dueños de negocios en-frentan retos y por tanto setiene la obligación comofuncionarios de brindarlos recursos necesarios pa-ra que logren el éxito.

El seminario gratuito enespañol está programadode la siguiente manera: enMcAllen el martes 10 deenero de 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. enla oficina regional de laContraloría en McAllen,ubicada en 3231 NorthMcColl Road; en Browns-ville, el martes 10 de enerode 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en la of-icina regional de la Con-traloría en Brownsville, lo-calizada en 1900 N Express-way, Suite C-1; y en Laredoel miércoles 11 de enero de6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en la oficinaregional de la Contraloríaen Laredo, localizada en1202 E. Del Mar Blvd. # 1.

Durante el seminariodonde los comerciantes po-drán orientarse sobre te-mas que incluyen la man-era de completar los for-mularios de los impuestossobre las ventas, declarar ypagar impuestos electróni-camente y los servicioselectrónicos (e-services, eninglés) disponibles paraasistir a los contribuyentesen la administración desus cuentas en línea.

Representantes de la of-icina de la Contraloría es-tarán presentes con el ob-jetivo de responder a laspreguntas de los come-rciantes y servir a los asis-tentes.

“Deseamos capacitar alos dueños de negocios enTexas haciendo recursos einformación accesibles”,expresó Combs en el co-municado. “Al conducir es-tos seminarios y brindar laasistencia de nuestros ex-pertos a los comerciantesproporciona la orientaciónnecesaria”.

Combs sostuvo que “unacomunidad comercialfuerte y diversa es la solu-ción para mantener sólidoel futuro económico deTexas”.

La lista completa de lu-gares, fechas y horas paralos seminarios ofrecidos alos contribuyentes en el es-tado (incluidos los que se-rán en inglés) se encuentradisponible en www.win-dow.state.tx.us/taxinfo/seminars.html.

TEXAS

Contraloríaorganiza

seminarios En español seránen tres ciudadesESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA “Al conducir

estosseminarios ybrindar laasistencia denuestrosexpertos a loscomerciantesproporciona laorientaciónnecesaria”.SUSAN COMBS,CONTRALORA DE TEXAS

ATAQUE CASINO MONTERREY, MÉXICO

HISTORIA PRESENTE

Foto de cortesía | La del Miernes

Panorámica del Palacio Municipal e Iglesia de Ciudad Mier, México. La imagen recuerda el libro “Unpueblo mágico por la gracia de su historia” de Enrique Maldonado Quintanilla y publicado en el2007, donde el autor rindió un homenaje al recién designado ‘Un Mágico Pueblo Mágico’.

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES Weather SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

PORTLAND, Maine —The big snowstorms of au-tumn are just memories inNew England, where peo-ple who make their livingsoff winter tourism are los-ing income and NewHampshire primary candi-dates lack picturesque win-terscapes for photo ops.Tourists in the West playgolf instead of skiing. InMidwestern hockey coun-try, you can barely slog apuck through the slush.

A continuing dearth ofsnow in many U.S. spotsusually buried by this timeof year has turned life up-side down. The weatherpattern that left manynorthern states with abrown Christmas is stillsticking around, and theoutlook for at least the nextweek is bleak for winterrecreation enthusiasts.

Nationwide, the lack ofsnow is costing tens of mil-lions of dollars in winterrecreation, restaurant,lodging and sporting goodssales, experts said.

“It’s Mother Nature.She’s playing tricks on us,or something. Now it’s get-ting nerve-racking,” saidTerry Hill, whose cash flowis nonexistent because herrental cabins are empty atShin Pond Village, north ofMaine’s Baxter State Park,

normally alive this time ofyear with the buzz of snow-mobiles.

Early in the winter, theSouthwest saw some heavysnow, as did parts of theNortheast clobberedaround Halloween andThanksgiving by snow thathas since melted. The Pa-cific Northwest has seensnow recently. And longer-range forecasts predictabove-normal or normalsnow amounts for much ofthe country’s northern halffor the rest of the season.

Many economic lossescan be made up, said Char-les Colgan, an economist atthe University of SouthernMaine’s Muskie Institute ofPublic Service.

But that’s of little com-fort right now in the North-east, where businesses thatdepend on winter recre-ation usually see heaps ofsnow around the Christ-mas and New Year holi-days as a bonus and it’scritical to have snow byMartin Luther King Jr.weekend, about a weekfrom now.

As of Thursday, only 19percent of the nation wascovered in snow, less thanhalf the average snow coverover the past five years onthe same date, according tothe National Weather Ser-vice’s National OperationalHydrologic Remote SensingCenter in Minnesota.

Today’s forecast calls forthe Northeast to thaw outfrom its first big cold spell.It’ll be in the 50s and sunnyin Reno, Nev., a place thatnormally sees snow bynow. In the Midwest, wherethe temperature hit the 40sThursday, the warm weath-er has turned frozen pondsand backyard rinks toslush, sending ice skatersindoors.

“There’s no place thathas reliable ice. You’reskating on Jell-O. You tryto shoot the puck. It goes alittle ways and it gets stuckin a puddle,” said BarbaraGarn, who has seen a biguptick in participants inpickup hockey games sheorganizes at indoor rinksin Minnesota’s Twin Citiesregion.

Tom Buker, a pilot withthe Minnesota Departmentof Natural Resources, saidhe flew over southern Min-nesota on Thursday andsaw lots of ice that’s toodangerous for fishing.

“There was no snow —zero,” he said. “I was at2,000 feet; my temperaturegauge was reading 62 de-grees. That’s more likeApril weather than Janu-ary weather.”

Buffalo, Rochester andSyracuse, N.Y., normallyburied in feet of snow bynow, had the third-lightestsnowfall on record fromOctober through December.

Signs from Republican candidates are seen on a grass-covered median Thursday, in Manchester, N.H.In New Hampshire, there’s no snow to slow down Republicans as they zoom across the state to maketheir last push before next week’s primary vote.

Photo by Matt Rourke | AP

No snow, just the coldBy DAVID SHARP

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Drought-stricken Texas suffered itsdriest year on record in2011 as well as its secondhottest, the NationalWeather Service said Fri-day.

The average rainfall forthe state last year was 14.88inches. The previous driestaverage total was in 1917with 14.99 inches.

The weather service said2011’s average temperaturewas 67.2 degrees. Texas’warmest year on recordwas in 1921 with an aver-age temperature of 67.5 de-grees.

Last year Texas sufferedits worst single-yeardrought, its largest agricul-tural losses and the hottestsummer in U.S. history.From June through Au-gust, Texas averaged 86.8degrees, beating out Okla-homa’s 85.2 degrees in 1934.

The drought started infall 2010 with the arrival ofthe La Niña weather condi-tion that causes below-nor-mal rainfall. La Niña isback and forecasters saythe drought is expected todrag on at least throughMay.

Victor Murphy, a climateservice program managerfor the weather service inFort Worth, said forecast-ers were expecting belownormal rainfall across thestate in 2011 because of LaNiña. “But I think the mag-nitude of the drought andthe severity of the droughtwas obviously not expect-ed,” he said.

Last year scant rainfalland scorching temper-atures dried up many river-beds, prompting some wild-life biologists to rescuethreatened fish.

2011 isdriesteverBy JUAN A. LOZANOASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

EDINBURG — A competitivemarksman was charged Fridayin a shooting last month inwhich two teens were severelywounded during basketballtryouts behind their South Texasmiddle school — a shooting thelocal sheriff portrayed as unin-tentional but “very reckless.”

Dustin Wesley Cook, who wasshooting targets with a friend onranchland adjacent to HarwellMiddle School on Dec. 12, was ar-raigned on a charge of second-de-gree felony aggravated assault.He was only charged in theshooting of 14-year-old EdsonAmaro. Investigators haven’tbeen able to test the bullet thatwounded 13-year-old Nicholas Ti-jerina because it’s lodged nearhis spine.

Cook’s attorney, Michael Guer-ra, said that when the details ofwhat transpired are made public,they will show Cook “didn’t haveany criminal responsibility, what-soever.” He said Cook is a parentand has been praying for theboys and their families.

But at a news conference afterthe hearing, Hidalgo CountySheriff Lupe Treviño said Cook,an experienced marksman,should have known better.

“We do not believe that Mr.Cook went out there and inten-tionally and knowingly dis-charged this weapon intending toshoot or injure a child, but he diddo it in a very reckless manner,”Treviño said. “By his own admis-sion he knew that at the end ofhis targets, beyond his targetswas Harwell Middle School.”

The school only opened in the

fall, but police investigated a re-port of gunshots near the schoolbefore the students were wound-ed and investigated another re-port Friday that led to the schoolbeing locked down again.

School district SuperintendentRene Gutierrez on Friday calledon state lawmakers to ban hunt-ing and the use of high-poweredrifles and weapons within threemiles of schools.

“Our students throughout thestate are going to continue to beat risk if we don’t do something

about it,” Gutierrez said.Classes were finished on the

day of the shootings, but therewere about 50 students trying outfor the basketball team behindthe school, where two hoops wereset up because the gym was be-ing used. Nicholas, the youngerboy, was going for layup when hewas shot. Between 20 and 30 sec-onds later Edson, who had beensitting on a curb waiting histurn, was hit.

Edson lost a kidney and short-ly before Christmas, Nicholas’

doctor said the boy was unable tomove his legs, at least for thetime being. Treviño said therewas talk of sending Tijerina to ahospital in Houston where thebullet could be removed. If thathappened, investigators wouldtry to make a second ballisticsmatch, he said.

Authorities questioned threemen they found on the adjacentranchland after the shooting, in-cluding Cook and his friend, whowere shooting targets about amile from the school.

Cook had shot there before andhad targets set at 100 and 300yards in a line. It was not a certi-fied firing range and did not in-clude any protective berms thatwould keep stray bullets capableof traveling up to three milesfrom escaping. Cook was using atactical rifle that fires a .308-cali-ber Winchester round — the pre-ferred type of sniper rifle used inthe U.S. military and police agen-cies, Treviño said.

“The damning indictment hereis that we have two targets that ...align the shooter with the chil-dren, the ultimate targets,” Trevi-ño said. “This is very damningand very telling.”

Investigators also have a logthat Cook kept of his shots. Itshows he took five shots at 4:38p.m. Treviño said authorities re-ceived the first emergency callsaround 4:45 p.m.

The third piece of evidence is aballistics report matching thebullet pulled from Amaro toCook’s rifle. Cook and the otherman, who authorities have notpublicly identified, told investiga-tors they did not shoot each oth-er’s weapons, Treviño said.

“I need the public to know thatthis was not a deranged shooterout there shooting children or ...some careless hunter shooting inthe direction of a school, but itwas a target shooter,” he said.

Authorities said after theshooting that they had detainedthree armed men from adjacentranchland. Cook and the man hewas with were released. Thethird man, an illegal immigrantwith an assault rifle, according toauthorities, was eventuallycharged with misdemeanor tres-pass and poaching.

Marksman charged in shooting behind school

Dustin Wesley Cook, left, listens to his lawyer Michael Guerra as he is arraigned for aggravated assault Friday at the HidalgoCounty Detention Center. Cook is accused of firing the shot that injured a 14-year-old boy at an Edinburg middle school.

Photo by Nathan Lambrecht/The Monitor | AP

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

EL PASO — The grand-mother of a 15-year-old Dal-las girl who was deportedto Colombia after givingimmigration officials afake name is questioningwhy U.S. officials didn’t domore to verify her identify.

U.S. immigration offi-cials said they’re investi-gating the circumstances ofthe case involving Jaka-drien Lorece Turner. Butthey insist they followedprocedure and found noth-ing to indicate that the girlwasn’t a woman from Col-ombia illegally living inthe U.S.

The girl, who ran awayfrom home more than ayear ago, was recentlyfound in Bogota, Colombia,by the Dallas Police Depart-ment with help from Col-ombian and U.S. officials.

The Colombian govern-ment said late Thursdaythat the U.S. Embassy hadsubmitted the necessarydocuments for Jakadrien toreturn to the U.S, though itwas unclear exactly when

she might be back.Her grandmother, Dallas

hairstylist Lorene Turner,said she’s hoping Jaka-drien will soon be home.

U.S. immigration offi-cials deferred questions tothe State Department aboutwhen the teen might re-turn. The State Depart-ment declined to commentfurther.

According to the Colom-bian Ministry of ForeignAffairs, the girl was en-rolled in the country’s“Welcome Home” programafter she arrived there. Shewas given shelter, psycho-logical assistance and a jobat a call center, a statementfrom the agency said.When the Colombian gov-ernment discovered shewas a U.S. citizen, it puther under the care of a wel-fare program, the state-ment said.

Her grandmother calledthe deportation a “big mis-take somebody made” andsaid U.S. officials need todo better.

“She looks like a kid, sheacts like a kid. How couldthey think she wasn’t akid?” Lorene Turner asked

on Thursday.Jakadrien’s family said

she left home in November2010. Houston police saidthe girl was arrested onApril 2, for misdemeanortheft in that city andclaimed to be Tika LanayCortez, a Colombian wom-an born in 1990.

An Immigration andCustoms Enforcement offi-cial told The AssociatedPress on Thursday that theteen claimed to be Cortezthroughout the criminalproceedings in Houstonand the ensuing deporta-tion process in which animmigration judge ulti-mately ordered her back toColombia.

The ICE official, speak-ing on condition of ano-nymity due to not being au-thorized to discuss addi-tional details of the case,said the teenager was inter-viewed by a representativefrom the Colombian con-sulate and that country’sgovernment issued her atravel document to enterColombia. The ICE officialsaid standard procedure be-fore any deportation is tocoordinate with the other

country in order to estab-lish that person is fromthere.

The girl was given Col-ombian citizenship uponarriving there, the ICE offi-cial said.

The Colombian Ministryof Foreign Affairs said Ja-kadrien was issued traveldocuments at the request ofthe U.S. National SecurityAgency and with informa-tion submitted by U.S. offi-cials. Colombian officialsare investigating what kindof verification was conduct-ed by its Houston consulateto issue the temporarypassport.

It was not clear if theteen might be charged up-on her return for falsifyingher identity in a criminalprocess.

Dallas Police detectiveC’mon (pronounced Si-mone) Wingo, the detectivein charge of the case, ex-plained that in August shewas contacted by the girl’sgrandmother, who said Ja-kadrien had posted “kindof disturbing” messages ona Facebook account whereshe goes by yet anothername.

This undated photo shows Jakadrien Lorece Turner, a Texas teenwho ran away more than a year ago, her family said.

Photo courtesy of WFAA-TV | AP

Girl’s deportation raises questionsBy JUAN CARLOS LLORCA

AND LINDA STEWART BALLASSOCIATED PRESS

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

in a statement.Immigrants who do not

have criminal records andwho have only violated im-migration laws can win awaiver if they can provetheir absence would causean extreme hardship fortheir American spouse orparent. The government re-ceived about 23,000 hard-ship applications in 2011and more than 70 percentwere approved.

About 75 percent of theapplications were filed byMexicans, according to U.S.Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services.

Immigrant advocateshave long complained aboutthe current system, whichcan split up families formonths or years. And sincethere’s no guarantee a per-son will win a waiver to re-turn, many immigrant fam-ilies refuse to take the riskof going abroad to apply forone.

Laura Barajas, a 42-year-old stay-at-home mom inOrange County, Calif., isdue to travel to Ciudad Jua-rez in two weeks to try toget her papers. She and herU.S. citizen husband aretrying to stay positive, but

she is afraid to leave himand their two young chil-dren behind.

“I don’t want to be sepa-rated for a long time frommy children,” said Barajas,who came to the U.S. ille-gally to find work, then mether future husband andstayed. “I’m not going torisk taking them to a placethat I don’t even know after18 years.”

Pro-immigration activistsand lawyers embraced thechange, saying it wouldkeep families together andencourage more peoplenow in the United States il-legally to emerge from theshadows and apply for vi-sas. Some said it could evensave lives.

Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo.,recalled the case of TaniaNava Palacios, who went toCiudad Juarez — a hotbedfor drug-fueled violence —with her American hus-band and son in pursuit ofa waiver. Drug cartel mem-bers killed her husbandlast year, his office said in astatement.

Kelly Alfaro, of Washing-ton state, said her husband,Guillermo, waited in Mexi-co for eight months last

year after he had his visainterview in Ciudad Jua-rez.

“I was terrified for hissafety because I know howdangerous it is there and Ihad no way of knowinghow long he would have tostay in Mexico,” she said.

Democratic lawmakerswelcomed the Obama ad-ministration’s move tochange the immigrationsystem by rulemaking afterefforts at a legislative over-haul failed.

“Has it taken a while?Yes. Is it happening? Yes,”said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who has encouragedsuch changes. “Am I look-ing forward to telling peo-ple to vote for him? Abso-lutely.”

Immigration has becomea difficult issue for Obamaahead of the Novemberelection. As a presidentialcandidate, he pledged tochange what many consid-er to be a broken immigra-tion system.

To that end, HomelandSecurity Secretary JanetNapolitano announcedplans last year to reviewsome 300,000 pending de-portation cases.

IMMIGRATION Continued from Page 1A

that,” said Vela. Rathmell could not be

reached for comment. In a previously tabled

item, the court will dis-cuss approving the inter-local agreement betweenthe county and ZapataCounty IndependentSchool District for the as-sessment of ad valoremtaxes. The county and thedistrict currently shareoperational funding of thecounty appraisal districtin an informal arrange-ment. This agenda item,Vela explained, is aboutputting it in writing.

“Under Judge Rath-mell’s administration,we’ve been good at forma-lizing some of thesethings, and that’s what weseek to do with this item,”he said.

The county and theschool district each con-tribute roughly half of theappraisal district’s funds,added Vela.

The court will also de-liberate and consider ac-tion on several items. Itwill consider an agree-ment between Journey toRecovery Outreach Pro-gram and Zapata Countyfor the maintenance of theboat ramp on U.S. 83 andTexas 16, not to exceed theamount of $25,000. Addi-tionally, it might approvethe Oswaldo H. and Juan-ita G. Ramirez ExhibitionHall for a wrestling showon Feb. 4 and a “Bully DogShow” sponsored by theconvention and visitorsbureau on March 17.

The commissioners willconsider installation of a

street hump at 124 FloresStreet and a street light at1902 Guerrero Avenue,which is in Precinct 4. Pre-cinct 4 might get two morespeed humps, one at 19thStreet and Elm Street andanother at Alamo Streetand Ramireño Avenue.

The agenda also liststwo line-item transfers upfor discussion: $2,500 forbird feed and supplies and$2,500 for “Parks.” Bothtransfers pertain to Pre-cinct 2. Gabriel Villarreal,commissioner for that pre-cinct, could not be reachedfor comment.

The commissionerscourt meeting starts at 9a.m. Monday at the ZapataCounty Courthouse.

(Mike Herrera IV can bereached at 728-2567 ormherrera@lmtonline.com)

COMMISSIONERS Continued from Page 1A

the compressor kicked in, it caused the ig-nition. It blew (out) the vehicles.”

Landin said the public should not bealarmed by the possibility of someone“planting bombs.” He added that it was ablessing no one got hurt, since the inci-dent occurred after hours.

“We would’ve had a much different out-come” had the explosion happened duringthe day, Landin said.

Investigator Joe E. Baeza, police spokes-man, echoed Landin’s comments and add-ed that the consequences would’ve beenworse given that the fire scene is behindWiggles Children’s Rehab, 1403 N. Sey-mour Ave.

“I don’t want to imagine the results ofwhat (it) would’ve meant if the school (hadbeen) full of children,” Baeza added. “No-body went to the hospital in this case. …That’s probably the biggest silver lining inthis whole story.”

Several dozen 911 calls came in right af-ter 11 p.m. Monday. From there, it all wentdownhill for the Laredo police and fire de-partments.

People in the immediate area and thosemiles away from the scene reported a“loud explosion,” Baeza said. First respon-ders arrived in the 1400 block of NorthMeadow Avenue to encounter a wood ga-rage, fully engulfed in flames, in the park-ing lot area of Family Dental Care andRathmell Engineers and Surveyors.

According to police, the garage wasused to store vehicles. The place was rent-ed out to a land surveyor police say has nocriminal history. Secondary explosions fol-lowed, blasting out the windows of motorvehicles and surrounding homes. OnTuesday morning, the police bomb squad,the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearmsand Explosives and fire investigatorscould be seen at the location investigating.

“All indications right now (are) thatthey have not found any evidence of anytype of explosive material or any type ofdetonation device,” Baeza said Tuesdaymorning.

One eyewitness account recollected see-ing debris falling from the sky. Baeza add-ed that pieces of wood and what had beenthe garage’s aluminum door were scat-tered throughout the 1400 block of Mead-ow. During these types of events, first re-sponders are unaware of the situation un-til they assess the scene, making it hardfor officials to release information on anincident.

Rumors of what occurred late Mondayspread throughout social media. Posts onFacebook fueled rumors of a police pur-suit ending in an explosive collision or agrenade attack.

For German Canales, who lives acrossthe street from where the gas exploded, itwas quite a night. He was working late in-stalling an air bag on a car. After feelingthe chilly weather, he went inside his

home. Twenty minutes later, the explosionshook his home, a few feet away.

Canales and his brother went outsideand quickly grabbed a cell phone with avideo camera to record the incident.

“When we heard the truck blowing up,we took cover behind the car, but we nev-er stopped recording,” Canales said, not-ing that debris was falling from the sky.

Canales witnessed motorists abandon-ing their vehicles and running for cover.Inside his home, Canales said the shee-trock walls cracked and the sinks andsome windows broke.

When people handle propane for barbe-cues and cooking outdoors, they need tobe aware that leaks might occur. Landinurged the community to close their cylin-ders properly and completely to preventan incident such as Monday’s from hap-pening at their homes.

Mayor Raul G. Salinas arrived at thescene later Tuesday. He added that it wasa miracle no one had gotten injured. Hisconcern now has shifted to propane tanksin the community.

“We need to look at that and focus onthe causal factor to make a determinationto educate the public,” Salinas said.

Some surrounding businesses openedfor their customers. Mora Eye Clinic, atthe southeast corner of Corpus ChristiStreet and Meadow, saw no interruption ofpatient visits. The office sustained only abroken window.

“I guess we got real lucky,” said officemanager Tony Shepherd. “Our office ispretty much unscathed.”

Family Dental Care, which is next doorto Rathmell Engineering, was also openTuesday, but an employee said Dr. CarmenRathmell was unavailable for comment.The back of Wiggles Children’s Rehabfaces the site of the fire; it sustained signif-icant damage.

“We don’t know the extent of the dam-age yet,” said Carlos Ramirez, who han-dles marketing for the business.

The Seymour Avenue location is closedfor the time being, but Ramirez said par-ents of clients are being offered services ata second office on Jaime Zapata MemorialHighway. Wiggles is also offering transpor-tation to the alternative location for fam-ilies who live near the Heights office.

The location employs about 25 peopleand 50 to 75 children attend for rehabilita-tion sessions each day, he said.

Stock Woodwork, directly across CorpusChristi from the blast, had most of its win-dows blown out Monday night. OwnerShane Stock said the business was not af-fected very much Tuesday simply becausehe does not have very many walk-in cus-tomers.

“We just had to clean it (the glass) upand board up the windows,” he said. Oth-erwise, the store had fairly normal hours,Stock said.

BLAST Continued from Page 1A

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

With the preseason behind them, theZapata Hawks find themselves twogames deep in district play.

In the opening district game, Zapatapulled out a 50-41 victory over PSJASouthwest via its ability to hit key 3-pointers late in the game.

Danny Chapa led all scorers with 15points, while Alonzo Gutierrez added 12points for Zapata.

PSJA Southwest battled Zapata to thebrink of defeat, with the Hawks strug-gling and regressing into some carelessmistakes.

“We struggled in the district opener,but we were able to hit two 3-pointerswith two minutes left. That gave us alarge enough lead to win,” Zapata coachJuan Villarreal. “We improved in someareas, but we fell back in others. It is go-ing to be a tough season, but we’re tak-ing it one game at a time.”

The Hawks were able to get a victoryafter a worrisome preseason that sawthem pile more losses than wins.

“It was a good feeling to win, but weplayed a school that has only existed fortwo years,” Villarreal said. “It was ateam of sophomores and freshmen, andthey came at us hard. We had a toughtime beating them.”

The victory was short lived as theHawks turned around quickly, playingdistrict favorite Rio Hondo — preseasonfavorite to repeat as district champions.

The Hawks couldn’t overcome 31 turn-overs, dropping an 82-34 decision.

Leading the way for Zapata again,Chapa posted 14 points.

“We missed a lot of shots from thepaint and had too many turnovers,” Vil-larreal said. “(Rio Hondo) is a very goodteam and they out hustled us in everypart of the game.”

Zapata hosts La Feria on Tuesday in areturn to district action.

Win some, lose some

Zapata Hawk Danny Chapa (11) helped power his team to one win and one loss so far in District 32-3A. Chapaled all scorers with 15 points in the district opening 50-41 victory over PSJA Southwest.

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Hawks splitdistrict games

By CLARA SANDOVALTHE ZAPATA TIMES

NEW ORLEANS — The head coachesand Heisman Trophy finalists Trent Rich-ardson and Tyrann Mathieu got their ownassistants and seats of honor at BCS mediaday Friday — college football’s downsizedversion of the annual Super Bowl free-for-all.

Musical tastes, the rematch and No. 2Alabama’s spot in Monday night’s cham-pionship game against No. 1 LSU wereamong the topics covered on the floor of theSuperdome.

Both star players shared Richardson’ssentiment: “We’ve been practicing so long,

everybody’s just ready for this game to gethere.”

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban expectssome pre-game butterflies and figures itdoes help some to have players who havebeen through it before. Alabama beat Texasin the title game two years ago.

“Regardless of how many times you’vebeen in a game like this, there’s still goingto be some anxiety,” he said. “I do thinkthat maybe some of the older players on theteam that are the leaders on our team whohave been in this situation before have cer-tainly helped some of the other players whoare looking for leadership.”

There was a smattering of light-heartedquestions — What’s the most embarrassing

song on your iPod? — but the atmospherewas decidedly lower key than the circus-like feeling at the Super Bowl.

It will be the first time under the BCSformat that two teams from the same con-ference have played for the championship,leaving some to wonder whether once-beat-en Oklahoma State should have gotten ashot at the title.

“The best teams are playing,” Richard-son said. “The voters chose right. If wewant a ball game that’s going to be 45-13,then put somebody else in the game. But ifwe want a ball game that’s going to be wellplayed and it’s going to be a slugfest ... no-

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Members of the LSU football team wait to have their team photo taken following media day for the BCS championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans Fri-day. LSU is scheduled to face Alabama for the national championship on Monday.

Photo by Dave Martin | AP

LSU, Bama Ready for the rematchBy JOHN ZENOR

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See BCS PAGE 2B

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

The Lady Hawks remain un-defeated in District 31-3A head-ing into the end of the firstround.

Zapata beat oneof the pre-districtfavorites, Rio Hon-do, 59-50 on Tues-day, pushing itsdistrict record to4-0, staying amongthe district lead-ers.

Rio Hondo (3-1) dropped tothird place behind Zapata andLa Feria — the only undefeatedteams. The pair of perfectsclash Tuesday for an outrighthold on first place.

Port Isabel (2-2) sits in fourthplace, rounding out District32-3A’s top four teams.

Senior Shelby Bigler contin-ues leading the Lady Hawks,pouring in 26 points and 18 re-bounds against Rio Hondo forthe night’s only double-double.Teammate Estella Molinachipped in with 14 points andseven rebounds.

It took a while for the LadyHawks to get going; they missedmany offensive opportunitiesand fell into a 20-5 hole by theend of the first quarter.

Zapata coach Hector GarciaJr. put the Lady Hawks intotheir signature half-court press,one of their main weapons allseason, and they were able to

Soaringto the

top spotUndefeated LadyHawks take flight

By CLARA SANDOVALTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See LADY HAWKS PAGE 2B

BIGLER

There’s only a few days leftin Bowl Season, and everyyear, these few weeks reaf-

firm my affection for it.This year, I was fortunate

enough to cover two bowl games,and I couldn’t wait. The anticipa-tion I felt was like a kid waitingfor Santa on Christmas.

The first bowl I covered wasthe Alamo Bowl in San Antonio,with Baylor pitted against Wash-ington, and a few days later Iheaded over to the Meineke CareCare Bowl in Houston that sawTexas A&M versus Northwest-ern.

With the Alamo Bowl gameslated for 8 p.m., I arrived at thestadium around 3 p.m. because Iwanted to take in all the festiv-ities associated with it.

Armed with my Alamo Bowlmedia credential, I set out to talkto tailgaters, hopefully scoringsome food in the process.

There’s just something abouthaving a media pass aroundyour neck that makes completestrangers stop and talk with you.

In the crowd, I ran into an oldhigh school buddy — Alex Rodri-guez (no not the Yankee slugger)— there with his family. He spot-

Besttime of

year

See SANDOVAL PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

hold Rio Hondo to eightpoints after its initial 20points.

Zapata transformed intothieves, stealing the ball 17times, causing a momentumshift in its favor.

Kristina De Leon, who hasbecome a defensive night-mare, had a team-high sevensteals — with most resultingfrom the half-court pressure.

De Leon added seven defen-sive rebounds, capping agreat game for the LadyHawks.

“In the second we went intoour half-court press andpicked up the tempo,” Garciasaid. “As we started runningthe floor, we closed the lead to28-19 at halftime.”

The offense came aroundwhen Bigler and Molinafound their groove.

The second half saw a newand reenergized team emerge

as the Lady Hawks chippedaway at the Rio Hondo’s leadwith each passing minute.

Zapata clawed within three,37-34, by the end of the thirdquarter.

Zapata took control of thegame in the final quarter,cranking up the ball pressureand forcing Rio Hondo tocommit turnovers.

“In the end, the pressurewas too much for them,” Gar-cia said.

Zapata only has a few daysto celebrate its victory, as LaFeria waits Tuesday night.

The Lady Hawks travel toLa Feria for a 7:30 p.m. tip off.

“I think we will be readyfor game against La Feria,”Garcia said. “La Feria is a ve-ry good team, but if we cancontinue with our pressuredefense and work offensivelyfor four quarters, we will bealright for the game.”

LADY HAWKS Continued from Page 1B

ted me and shouted my name.It was great to visit with Alex, and of course, he

gave me food as we caught up with each other’s life.I pushed on to see what kind of people were tail-

gating since 7 a.m.I stopped and talked with a couple of Baylor

graduates from Houston there to support theirBears.

I found out why people were there — mainly towitness Robert Griffin III, Baylor’s quarterbackand first Heisman recipient in school history.

Rumors swirled that this might be his last colle-giate game, intensifying their want to watch himfor the last time before he declared for the NFL.

RG3 was all he was cracked up to be, and more,with precision passes and fabulous runs, outgun-ning Washington 67-56.

Griffin was electric, marching Baylor’s offenseup and down the field in a marathon race that theBears eventually won.

I was even able to get close to the Heisman tro-phy, despite having security around it. People onthe field were allowed to take pictures with it butyou were not allowed to touch it as one man foundout. He was tackled to the ground after touchingthe trophy.

Two days later, I headed to the Meineke Car Care

Bowl in Houston, where the Aggies broke a 10-yearbowl winless streak.

The Aggies enjoyed homefield advantage on theirway to a win, and were on the board first.

I enjoy watching Aggie nation go crazy over theirfootball team. People from all over Texas — andmany other states, at that — were there to watchtheir beloved Aggies.

I also had time to spend with the band, since Iwas there to interview Laredoan Gonzalo Rodri-guez.

My main objective was to take pictures, tryingout my fancy new lens — a Christmas gift — that Ihave come to love because of the great productionsit creates.

The feeling I got covering bowl games is like noother; I enjoy every aspect of it from the pregamefestivities through the halftime shows and on to thepostgame celebrations.

I had to muscle my way into the photo pit to takesome postgame celebration shots, even got hit onthe head at one point.

But it was a great experience — minus the blowto the head — and would gladly do it all over again.

And again.(Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.cla-

ra@gmail.com)

SANDOVAL Continued from Page 1B

body has played a gamelike we have when it comesto living up to the hype.”

LSU defensive end Bar-kevious Mingo said, “Idon’t think anything cancompare to this go-around.It’s the national champion-ship. It’s for all the mar-bles.”

Some highlights frommedia day:

TESTING THE WATERSSeveral players from

both teams will have to de-cide after Monday night’sgame whether they will de-clare for the NFL draft orreturn to school for anoth-er season.

All-American corner-back Morris Claiborne ofLSU is expected to be atop-10 selection if he leavesearly, though he insists theriches of the NFL are noton his mind.

“I’ve just been brushingit off and not trying to dealwith it at this point,” Clai-borne said. “As of this mo-ment, I’m an LSU Tigerand I’m trying to win a na-tional championship.”

His teammate, defensiveend Sam Montgomery, saidthat he received positive re-views when he asked forscouts to grade his per-formance this season. Butduring media day Friday,Montgomery let it slip thathe had decided to return to

Baton Rouge for anotherseason.

“I’ve got a lot more foot-ball to learn,” he said.

BUSINESS, NOTBOURBON STREETThe always-focused Sa-

ban gets his own brand ofpleasure from the New Or-leans experience, and itdoesn’t involve drinkinghurricanes.

“It depends on how yousort of categorize enjoy-ment,” Saban said. “I enjoythe fact that our team hasan opportunity to play insuch a great competitivevenue. I enjoy the work oftrying to get the teamready to play the waythey’re going to need toplay to have an opportuni-ty to be successful.

“It’s very challenging. Sothat’s my enjoyment. Now,maybe your perception ofenjoyment is you go outand have a party. Well,that’s not my enjoyment ofthis experience.”

Likewise, LSU coach LesMiles says he’s all aboutpreparation.

“Right now there’s noenjoyment,” he said. “Ipromise you that when wetake the field, I will be pre-paring to enjoy myself forthat evening.”

DIGGING THE

HOUNDSTOOTHThe snickers floated from

Tuscaloosa all the way tothe Bayou when LSU defen-sive end Sam Montgomerywas asked about formerTide coach Bear Bryantlast November.

“I don’t know anythingabout Bear Bryant,” Mont-gomery said earnestly be-fore the first meeting be-tween the two teams. “Ireally haven’t looked atfilm that much.”

Apparently, it takes morethan six national cham-pionships to get on Mont-gomery’s radar.

He wasn’t going to makethe same mistake this weekin New Orleans, though. Hewent to Google and madesure he was prepared thenext time the legendarycoach’s name was broughtup.

“I was one of those guyswho never watched ESPN,never watched sports. So ifthey would have read up onme, they would haveknown why I didn’t knowwho bear Bryant was,”Montgomery said. “But Itook some time out of myday to find out who BearBryant was, and I have alot of respect for that man.”

PLAYER COACHBefore blowing out his

knee, Josh Dworaczyk was

expected to be one of theleaders of LSU’s offensiveline.

The senior guard hadstarted 23 consecutivegames.

Unable to contribute onthe field, Dworaczyk be-came the Tigers de factooffensive line coach, plug-ging a hole caused by thecoaching staff shake-upthat developed from a farmore serious health issuethat confronted LSU lead-ing up to the season.

Offensive coordinatorSteve Kragthorpe was diag-nosed with Parkinson’s dis-ease in August and had torelinquish that job. He re-mained the quarterbackscoach and offensive linecoach Greg Studrawa be-came the offensive coordi-nator and play caller. Thatput Studrawa up in thecoaches box and away fromthe sideline during games.

“They didn’t have any-body coming off (the field)to make the adjustmentswith the line, and that con-cerned me,” Studrawa said.

Then, soon after LSUfound out about Krag-thorpe, Dworaczyk gothurt in practice.

“How do you turn trage-dy into triumph? There’sthe missing piece to thepuzzle,” Studrawa said.“He knows this offense aswell as I do.”

Dworaczyk said after hegot hurt he went to the

coaches and told them hewanted to stay involved.

“They were like, ‘Weneed somebody downthere. These guys need afamiliar face, someonethey can talk to,”’ he said.“Just small things. With(fellow guard Josh) Willi-ford on a pull, I mightcome and say, ‘Hey, Willi-ford, next time you pullaround, when you comearound, come a little bittighter.’

“Then I see him do itand the next play springsfor 10, 15, touchdown, andit’s like, my small contribu-tion helped this guy out.”

BUSY WEEKENDThere will be nonstop ac-

tivity throughout the week-end inside the Superdome,which is hosting a Saintsplayoff game on Saturdaynight and the BCS titlegame 48 hours later.

During media day, thelower edges of field levelstands were decorated withBCS banners, while theSaints fleur-de-lis logo onthe 50-yard line was cov-ered by a tarp.

“What makes this partic-ularly challenging is we’vegot a national champion-ship — it’s not just any col-lege football game on Mon-day night — and you’ve gota playoff game,” said DougThornton, a vice president

of SMG, the company thatmanages the state-ownedSuperdome and neighbor-ing New Orleans Arena(which also was hosting anNBA game Friday night).

“We’ve got to workaround the team practices.We’ve got to work aroundmedia day. We have to do alot of our work at nightwhen folks are not here,”Thornton said.

After media day, Super-dome crews had to removethe BCS logos from interi-or facades and replacethem with Saints logos.Thornton said stadiumcrews also had the unusualtask of helping two majortelevision networks, NBCand ESPN, set up equip-ment and run cables fortheir respective broadcasts.

The moment the Saintsgame ends, crews will re-moving Saints bannersfrom the stadium as wellas NFL and Saints logosfrom the field, which willthen be repainted with Ala-bama, LSU and BCS logoswhile BCS banners are re-hung throughout the stadi-um. The NFL hash marksalso will be removed fromthe field, and wider collegehash marks repainted.

About 350 people willwork overnight Saturdayand Sunday cleaning thestadium and restockingconcession stands, whichThornton described as a“herculean effort.”

BCS Continued from Page 1B

HOUSTON — Year after ago-nizing year, Andre Johnson wasasked about his goals for theseason and his answer neverchanged.

“I want to get this team to theplayoffs,” he would say.

Now, after years of often ter-rible seasons, Johnson and theTexans have reached that goal.They will face Cincinnati onSaturday in the franchise’s firstplayoff game.

This is Houston’s 10th season,and Johnson has been there forall but Year 1. That makes himthe longest-tenured player onthe roster and the only onewho’s been in Houston longerthan coach Gary Kubiak.

The receiver is the face of thefranchise. When the Texanswere at their worst, he was oneof the only recognizable nameson the team.

Johnson was long consideredone of the NFL’s top receivers,and many questioned why hechose to remain with the Texanswhen they were never evenclose to reaching the postseason.

Some also wondered if thisteam would ever make the play-offs. Johnson wasn’t amongthem, though he never thoughtit would take this long.

“I always thought positiveabout it,” he said. “It’s beensome frustrating times and I’vehad people ask me why didn’t Ileave? Why did I stay? I justwanted to be a part of some-thing special. I wanted to behere when the Texans got in thefirst playoff game.”

Johnson had chances to leave,but signed two contract exten-sions. The second one will keephim with the team through 2016.Everyone in the organization is

happy the 30-year-old receiver isfinally getting his playoff shot.

“Think about how long he’sstuck it out here in Houston,”said Kubiak, who was hired in2006. “A lot of guys in this dayand time move along, go some-where else, lose their patience.Andre has never done that. He’sbeen a rock around here.”

Johnson has had a tough sea-son, dealing with injuries toboth hamstrings. The sevengames he’s played this seasonare a career low. He finishedwith more than 1,200 yards re-

ceiving the each of the pastthree seasons, including a ca-reer-high 1,575 in 2008, but had acareer-worst 492 this season.

He played for the first timesince Dec. 4 last week againstthe Titans, but was limited toabout 15 plays. Kubiak said he’llbe back at full speed Saturdayand expects him to be key in thegame.

“It all worked out,” Johnsonsaid. “I didn’t get to play muchthis year, but to be able to beback healthy and get ready forthe playoffs is pretty exciting. So

I’m going to go out there andgive it all I’ve got.”

Both quarterbacks in thisgame share none of Johnson’shistory. Houston’s T.J. Yates andCincinnati’s Andy Dalton areboth rookies, the first time tworookies QBs have faced eachother in a playoff game.

Yates, the former third-strin-ger, was thrust into the job afterseason-ending injuries to MattSchaub and Matt Leinart.

“That makes it even more im-portant for the guys that haveput in the work on this team,

the Andre Johnsons that havebeen here for forever and stuckwith this organization and wait-ed for a moment like this,” Yatessaid. “It makes you want towork harder for them just so itcan make the moment for themmore special.”

Cincinnati last reached theplayoffs in 2009, but has been tothe postseason just three timesin the last 21 years. Their lastpostseason victory came at theend of the 1990 season with a 41-14 win over the Oilers.

Bengals offensive tackle An-drew Whitworth said the play-ers don’t talk much about howlong it’s been since they ad-vanced in the postseason.

“We have some guys whowere close to being born whenthat happened,” he said. “Wehave some young guys on thisteam. I promise you some ofthem have no clue about that.We just focus on what we can doto do our best and win for ourcity and the Cincinnati Ben-gals.”

CINCINNATI (9-7) AtHOUSTON (10-6)

Today, 3:30 p.m., NBCOPENING LINE — Texans by 3 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinna-

ti 8-6-2; Houston 11-5SERIES RECORD — Series tied 3-3 LAST MEETING — Texans beat

Bengals 20-19, Dec. 11LAST WEEK — Bengals lost to

Ravens 24-16; Texans lost to Ti-tans 23-22

BENGALS OFFENSE — OVERALL(20), RUSH (19), PASS (20)

BENGALS DEFENSE — OVERALL(7), RUSH (10), PASS (9)

TEXANS OFFENSE — OVERALL(13), RUSH (2), PASS (18)

TEXANS DEFENSE — OVERALL(2), RUSH (4), PASS (3)

Texans enter first playoffs today vs. Bengals

Houston wide receiver Kevin Walter (83) and the Texans take part in their first-ever playoff game today against the Cincinna-ti Bengals in Houston. Houston won the regular season game, 20-19.

Photo by Al Behrman | AP

By KRISTIE RIEKENASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

DENNISTHE MENACE

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES | HERE’S HOW TO WORK IT:

JUDGE PARKER

REXMORGAN M.D.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

HINTS | BY HELOISE

Lipstick Removal FromCarpeting

Dear Heloise: I readyour column every day andam sure you can help meout. I am in dire need toknow how to get LIPSTICKOUT OF VERY THICKCARPET. It is rather darklipstick. I tried ice, andthat seemed to spread iteven more on the carpet. Itis rather new carpet, I rentmy apartment, and I amterribly upset about it.Thanks very much, He-loise! — Marilyn, via email

Marilyn, happy to help.Sorry, but ice is not the an-swer, as you found out.That is for candle wax.Lipstick is most likelygreasy or oily, althoughnew formulations may notbe. Here is my hint: Treatthe lipstick stain with aSMALL amount of dry-cleaning solvent (find thisin the laundry-supply areaat the store) or prewashspray, using a clean cloth.Rinse, and blot thoroughly.

Keep in mind for the fu-ture that there are threerules of stain removal:SOON, SLOW and SEVER-AL. Work on the stain assoon as possible, work onit slowly, and several triesmay be needed. Good luck.— Heloise

P.S.: Visit www.Heloise-.com for quick links to myTwitter and Facebook pag-es.

PET PALDear Readers: Geor-

giann Eikenbary in Liber-al, Kan., sent a picture ofher Maine coon cat, Quin,and her other cat, Ursula,who has seven toes on onefront paw and eight toes onthe other!

Georgiann says: “I’m soglad I had my cameraready when I saw thesetwo! They love to ‘playfight’ with each other, then

they make up by lyingreally close to each other.”To see Quin and Ursula, goto www.Heloise.com andclick on “Pets.” — Heloise

LAP AFGHAN Dear Heloise: I read

your column in the Mont-gomery (Ala.) Advertiser. Ienjoy crocheting, butsometimes have a partialskein of yarn left over. Iuse it to make “lapghans”(small afghans for the lap— Heloise). I start withany color and use it till itruns out. It doesn’t matterif it’s in the middle of therow or at the end. I amcareful in choosing whatcolors to put next to eachother so they will blendwell and match yarn types.

When finished, I have alapghan that can be usedby someone in a wheel-chair to help keep his orher legs warm.

I put them in gift bagsand take them to the localnursing home to be givento patients. I sew a blankname label on the lapghanso the nursing home canput the name of the recip-ient on it.

I have made good use ofmy leftover yarn and givena nice surprise to some-one! — P., via email

KEEP ‘EM TOGETHERDear Heloise: My hus-

band’s family taught methis: When at the dinnertable and someone asks forthe salt, always pass thesalt AND the pepper to-gether. You don’t want to“divorce” the two. Ithought that was cute andcourteous! — Shelly inTexas

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES NFL SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

The look of excitementand the eagerness in hisvoice gave Tom Coughlinaway. It’s playoff time, andhe loves it that his NewYork Giants are back incontention after missingout the last two years.

Just as spirited is Den-ver cornerback ChampBailey. And Pittsburghnose tackle Casey Hamp-ton.

Their teams start downthe path to Indianapolis onSunday when the Giantshost the Falcons, and theBroncos host the Pitts-burgh Steelers. The play-offs begin Saturday withCincinnati at Houston andDetroit at New Orleans.

“The energy and the ex-citement are even strongerthan yesterday and that’sthe way I think it works. Ithink it goes along,”Coughlin said.

When told he lookedparticularly animated thisweek, Coughlin threw uphis hands and replied witha smile: “How can you saythat?”

The NFC East cham-pions went 9-7, one gameworse than visiting Atlan-ta’s record as a wild cardout of the NFC South. Den-ver was a mere 8-8 in theAFC West, but that wasgood enough to win the di-vision in a tiebreaker overOakland and San Diego.

It’s the Broncos’ firsttrip to the postseason sincelosing in the 2005 AFC titlegame — to the Steelers.Bailey remembers that de-feat, and that Pittsburghwent on to win the SuperBowl. But he isn’t harpingon the past too much; thepresent is too invigorating.

“I’ll definitely be excited.That’s every game,” the 13-year veteran said. “I meanthis is the playoffs, there’sa little bit more excitementthere just because it’s hardto get in this tournamentand when you’re in youhave to take advantage.”

Many doubt the Broncosare equipped to do soagainst a Steelers teamthat was 12-4, losing theAFC North to Baltimore ona tiebreaker, and allowedonly 227 points, fewest inthe league. Pittsburgh isplayoff-tested, with threeSuper Bowl appearances inthe last six seasons, includ-ing a loss to Green Bay lastFebruary.

“That’s the best thingabout being here. We’reusually in the playoffs,” de-fensive end Brett Keiselsaid. “When we get herewe know what it takes toget going. Hopefully we canlean on that leadership andlean on that experienceand hopefully it can leadus to a few wins here.”

Watching at home thisweekend are the top seeds,defending Super Bowlchampion Green Bay inthe NFC, and New Englandin the AFC. Also on byesthis weekend are No. 2seeds San Francisco in theNFC and Baltimore in the

AFC.Coughlin and the Giants

recognize the advantagesto earning a bye, but alsoknow going all the wayhardly is impossible whenyou have to play four post-season games. Hey, theydid it in 2007 as a wildcard, just as the Steelersdid in 2005 and the Packerslast year.

Coughlin even sounds asif he doesn’t particularlymind playing this weekwhile four other teamsawait the winners.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s ex-citing. When you’re sittingthere late at night, it’s ex-citing,” he said.

New York hasn’t won apostseason game sincestunning undefeated NewEngland for the 2007 cham-pionship. Atlanta has fallenin both of its playoff gamessince Matt Ryan took overas quarterback, including a48-21 home rout at thehands of Green Bay a yearago — as the NFC’s topseed.

Star receiver RoddyWhite understands theneed for excitement, but al-so the need to temper it abit.

“Absolutely. When youget into playoff football,you’ve got to be focused,locked in, tuned in,” Whitesaid. “You can’t go outthere and make mentalmistakes because any playcan be the play. Everythinghas to be tight.”

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez,who holds nearly every ca-reer record for tight ends,is 0-4 in the postseason.He’s not just looking forone win, but an even high-er level of exhilaration.

“It would mean a lot tome, but at the same time,that’s not our goal,” Gonza-lez said. “After the game ifwe’re fortunate to win,don’t expect me to be elat-ed. Ask me after the SuperBowl. That’s where I’ll betruly excited. The goal isnot to win a playoff game;it’s about winning a coupleof playoff games.”

NFL playoffs take center stageBy BARRY WILNERASSOCIATED PRESS

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, right, looks on during practice Friday in East Rutherford, N.J.The Giants are slated to host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in a wild-card playoff game.

Photo by Bill Kostroun | APNEW YORK — Calvin

Johnson took one look atthe voting and smiledbroadly.

“That’s sweet,” he said,as he studied The Associat-ed Press 2011 NFL All-ProTeam. “That’s one of thebest honors you can haveother than being a SuperBowl champion. To be anAll-Pro is a tremendoushonor.”

Johnson and Vikings de-fensive end Jared Allenwere the leading vote get-ters, each just one vote shyof being a unanimous pick.

Quarterback Aaron Rodg-ers made the team for thefirst time, easily beatingDrew Brees of the New Or-leans Saints, 471/2 to 21/2.Rodgers led Green Bay to aleague-best 15-1 record thisseason, after taking thePackers to the Super Bowltitle last February.

Johnson and Allen re-ceived 49 votes Friday froma nationwide panel of 50media members who regu-larly cover the NFL. It wasthe fourth All-Pro Team forAllen, who led the leaguewith 22 sacks, one-half shortof the record. Johnson madeit for the first time after

hauling in 96 catches for a17.5-yard average and scor-ing 16 touchdowns.

One rookie made thesquad: Arizona’s Patrick Pe-terson was selected as thekick returner. Peterson tiedan NFL mark when he ranback four punts for touch-downs, including a 99-yar-der in overtime to beat theRams.

Another cornerback, Dar-relle Revis of the Jets, wasbehind Johnson and Allenwith 48 selections. Ravensoutside linebacker TerrellSuggs got 47.

One oddity: Both first-team guards, Carl Nicksand Jahri Evans, were fromthe Saints. That hasn’t hap-pened since 1953, with De-troit’s Lou Creekmur andDick Stanfel.

In the All-Pro backfieldjoining Rodgers, whosequarterback rating of 122.5broke Peyton Manning’ssingle-season mark, wereMaurice Jones-Drew ofJacksonville, LeSean McCoyof Philadelphia, and full-back Vonta Leach of Balti-more.

It’s the first All-Pro selec-tions for Jones-Drew, theleague’s rushing leader with1,606 yards, and McCoy.Leach made it last yearwith Houston.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) is one of the head-liners on the AP 2011 NFL All-Pro Team.

Photo by John Ehlke | AP

AP announcesAll-Pro Team

By BARRY WILNERASSOCIATED PRESS