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WEDNESDAYJULY 25, 2018
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COWBOYS DEFENSIVE END REINSTATED BY THE NFL AFTER MISSING LAST SEASON, A9
LAREDO SECTOR BORDER PATROL
Claims of misconduct by agents eyed Chief says some are ‘isolated incidents and not representative of the agency’ By Joana Santillana ZAPATA TIME S
Moises Castillo / Associated Press
Dominga Vicente shows a photo of her niece, 20 year-old Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez, who was allegedly killed by a Border Patrol agent in Rio Bravo.
ZAPATA, TEXAS
BP agents arrest man convicted of murder
The Laredo Sector Border Patrol has come under scrutiny recently due to a string of incidents in which agents have been accused of misconduct. A double homicide, pawned government-issued equipment, sexual assault and lethal force are among the criminal episodes allegedly involving Border Patrol agents that have surfaced in
the past few months. But these occurrences are not new to Border Patrol agents throughout the country. Many cases have made national headlines, showing the federal agents in a less than favorable light. Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jason. D. Owens said these were isolated incidents and not representative of the agency’s workforce. There are 1,719 Border Patrol agents currently working in the Laredo
sector, the chief said. The Laredo sector consists of nine stations, Laredo North, Laredo South, Laredo West, Zapata, Hebbronville, Cotulla, Freer, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, according to CBP’s website. “CBP stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission,” Owens said. “The vast majority of CBP personnel perform their duties with honor Misconduct continues on A8
LAREDO COLLEGE SOUTH CAMPUS
ZAPATA JUMP START PROGRAM CELEBRATION
ZA PATA T I ME S
Border Patrol agents in Zapata recently arrested an undocumented immigrants who had been convicted of murder in Mexico. Agents arrested him July 15 near San Ygnacio. He was transported to the Zapata Border Patrol Station where a background check revealed he was previously arrested for murder in Mexico, and served six years in prison. The subject, a Mexican national, was processed accordingly for his illegal re-entry into the United States. “The men and women in the United States Border Patrol encounter hundreds of individuals on a daily basis. Instances like this remind us that you never know what type of individual you may encounter or what their intentions are until they are taken into custody,” said Laredo Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason D. Owens. All persons apprehended by the United States Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks utilizing multiple databases including the use of biometrics to ensure those with criminal history are positively identified regardless of their immigration status.
LC / Courtesy photo
Approximately 50 students from the Zapata Jump Start program celebrated the end of their summer activities on Thursday at the Laredo College South Campus. To maximize the number of students who qualify for early enrollment/dual credit classes, Project Jump Start offers students an opportunity to enroll for the summer college prep program and receive dedicated instruction in English, reading and mathematics in order to afford students the skills needed to be successful with the new TSI assessment. The program is sponsored by the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation. Photographed are Laredo College administrators, faculty and staff, and Zapata High School’s faculty and staff.
MEXICO
Murders increase in first half of 2018 By Mark Stevenson ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Courtesy photo
Zapata contestant wins Miss Pre Teen title A Zapatan was among the winners at the recent Miss Southwest Texas pageant held by Laredo Pageant Production. Yaretzi Landa took home the title of Miss Pre Teen Southwest. The other winners were: Miss Southwest Texas USA 2018 Vanessa Cantu (Laredo), Miss Southwest Texas Teen USA 2018 Samantha Ramos (Laredo), Miss Jr Southwest Texas 2018 Maya Rodgers (Del Rio), and Miss Little Southwest Texas 2018 Karina Gutierre (Del Rio).
MEXICO CITY — Homicides in Mexico rose by 16 percent in the first half of 2018, as the country again broke its own records for violence. The Interior Department said over the weekend there were 15,973 homicides in the first six months of the year, compared to 13,751 killings in the same period of 2017. The number is the highest since comparable records began being kept in 1997, including the peak year of Mexico's drug war in 2011. At current levels, the department's measure would put national homicides at 22 per 100,000
Bernandino Hernandez / AP
Investigators place numbers by evidence near the body of a woman who was found dead between two cars parked outside a restaurant in Acapulco.
population by the end of the year — near the levels of Brazil and Colombia at 27 per 100,000. Security analyst Alejandro Hope noted "the figures are horrible, but
there are some signs that are halfway encouraging." For example, the growth in homicides seems to be flattening out; murders were up only Murders continues on A12
In Brief A2 | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, JULY 28 The 9th Annual Cat Appreciation Day Cat Contest. San Bernardo Petco store. The Judging of the live cat categories will be from 2-2:30 p.m. and the judging of the digital photo categories will begin at 2:30 p.m. A $1 donation will be paid for each participating category. All donations received will go toward financially helping cat community caretakers to neuter and spay their cats. Sponsored by Gateway Gatos of Laredo. For more details, call Birdie at 956-286-7866.
TUESDAY, JULY 31 Usman Khan / AFP/Getty Images
Tiny Toes Virtual Tour – Spanish. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. The virtual tour gives mothers-to-be detailed information about what to expect upon arrival and during their stay at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 1 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, AUG. 4 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 8 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
FRIDAY, AUG. 31 The Concert on the Green. 8 p.m. Max Mandel Municipal Golf Course. Free. Held by the South Texas Advancement Resource, a nonprofit. Headliner is Kimberly Dunn and opener is Clay Hollis.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 Golf tournament for the South Texas Advancement Resource. 8 a.m. shotgun start. $300 registration before Aug. 1. Late registration is $400. Championship flight first prize is $5,000.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 2 Day 2 of the golf tournament for the South Texas Advancement Resource. Championship flight first prize is $5,000.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
Police investigate the Monday shooting scene on Tuesday in Toronto. Police were seeking to determine a motive after a man opened fire on restaurant goers and pedestrians.
2 DEAD, 13 WOUNDED IN TORONTO SHOOTING TORONTO — A man whose family said he suffered from psychosis and depression fired a handgun into restaurants and cafes in a lively Toronto neighborhood, killing a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman and wounding 13 others in an attack that has shaken the confidence of many in the normally safe city. Authorities on Monday evening identified the suspect as Faisal Hussain, 29, of Toronto, who died in an exchange of gunfire with police. It was not immediately clear whether he killed himself or was killed by police.
Woman likely spread Ebola a year after infection LONDON — A Liberian woman who probably caught Ebola in 2014 may have infected three relatives a year after she first fell sick, doctors reported in a study published Monday. There have been previous instances of men spreading Ebola to women via sexual transmission — the virus can survive in semen for more than a year — but the new case is
The mass shooting in Toronto’s Greektown district Sunday night came just three months after a van struck and killed 10 people in an apparent attack directed at women. A statement from the family of Hussain said their son had severe mental health challenges that the struggled with psychosis and depression. They said medications did not help him and the interventions of professionals were unsuccessful. Police Chief Mark Saunders said he would not speculate on a motive but did not rule out terrorism. — Compiled from AP reports
the first time scientists have suggested that Ebola was spread from a woman after such a prolonged period. The rare possibility of Ebola spreading long after infection highlights the importance of monitoring survivors, especially with the imminent end of the most recent flare-up of the disease in Congo. That country’s latest outbreak, announced in May, has so far recorded 38 confirmed cases, including 14 deaths. It is due to be declared contained on Wednesday, which will mark 42
days, or two incubation periods, since the last case was recorded. The unusual cluster of cases in Liberia was identified after the woman’s 15-year-old son was diagnosed with Ebola in November 2015. Scientists then tested the rest of his family: the woman, her husband and their three younger sons. The 15year-old died a few days later. The father and an 8-year-old boy were positive for Ebola, but both recovered. The couple’s 5-year-old son wasn’t infected. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Senate confirms Robert Wilkie for Veterans Affairs WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday confirmed Pentagon official Robert Wilkie to be secretary of Veterans Affairs, charged with delivering on President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to fire bad VA employees and steer more patients to the private sector. Wilkie won approval on a bipartisan vote of 86-9, securing the backing of many Democrats after insisting at his confirmation hearing that he will not privatize the government’s second-largest department. It was a moment of respite from the sharp political divisions engulfing Trump’s other nominees in the final months before congressional midterm elections. Wilkie is Trump’s third pick for the job in 18 months. The longtime public official says he will “shake up complacency” at
Carolyn Kaster / AP
Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Robert Wilkie is sworn in at the start of a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.
VA, which has struggled with long waits in providing medical treatment to millions of veterans. In a statement released by the White House, Trump applauded the confirmation vote and said he looked forward to Wilkie’s leadership. “I have no doubt that the Department of Veterans Affairs will continue
to make strides in honoring and protecting the heroic men and women who have served our nation with distinction,” he said. Trump selected Wilkie for the post in May after firing his first VA secretary, David Shulkin, amid ethics charges and internal rebellion at the department. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE STATE Family, friends fondly recall doctor shot while on bike HOUSTON — Dr. Mark Hausknecht usually rode his bicycle to work each morning, as he lived less than 2 miles from Houston Methodist Hospital. He was following his normal routine last week when a man also riding a bike approached the Houston cardiologist from behind and shot him twice in the torso, killing the
65-year-old physician. Friends, family and patients say they can’t imagine that anyone would want to hurt Hausknecht, who once treated former President George H.W. Bush. They say he was a humble and generous man who deeply cared about his patients, volunteered in his community and cared about the environment, often recycling cans on his daily commute. On Monday, authorities in Houston continued pursuing several leads in Friday’s shoot-
Today is Wednesday, July 25, the 206th day of 2018. There are 159 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On July 25, 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein signed a declaration at the White House ending their countries' 46-year-old formal state of war. On this date: In 1866, Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army of the United States, the first officer to hold the rank. In 1917, Nikon Corp. had its beginnings with the merger of three optical manufacturers in Japan. In 1946, the United States detonated an atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in the first underwater test of the device. In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States. In 1960, a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, that had been the scene of a sit-in protest against its whites-only lunch counter dropped its segregation policy. In 1961, in a televised address on the Berlin Crisis, President John F. Kennedy announced a series of steps aimed at bolstering the military in the face of Soviet demands that Western powers withdraw from the German city's western sector. In 1972, the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment came to light as The Associated Press reported that for the previous four decades, the U.S. Public Health Service, in conjunction with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, had been allowing poor, rural black male patients with syphilis to go without treatment, even allowing them to die, as a way of studying the disease. In 2000, a New York-bound Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground; it was the first-ever crash of the supersonic jet. In 2002, Zacarias Moussaoui declared he was guilty of conspiracy in the September 11 attacks, then dramatically withdrew his plea at his arraignment in Alexandria, Va. Ten years ago: An oxygen tank exploded aboard a Qantas Boeing 747-400, ripping a hole in the fuselage and forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. President George W. Bush signed an executive order expanding sanctions against individuals and organizations in Zimbabwe associated with the regime of President Robert Mugabe. Computer science professor Randy Pausch (powsh), whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died in Chesapeake, Va. at age 47. The Federal Communications Commission formally approved Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s $3.3 billion buyout of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. California became the first state to ban trans fats from restaurant food. Five years ago: Pope Francis, dubbed the "slum pope" for his work with the poor, received a rapturous welcome from one of Rio de Janeiro's most violent shantytowns and demanded the world's wealthy end the injustices that had left the poor on the margins of society. One year ago: A bitterly-divided Senate voted to move forward with Republican legislation to repeal and replace "Obamacare." Sen. John McCain, returning to the Capitol for the first time since he was diagnosed with brain cancer, cast a decisive "yes" vote. (Three days later, McCain joined with two other Republican senators and Democrats in defeating the repeal effort.) House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was critically wounded in a shooting at a baseball practice on June 14, was released from a Washington hospital. Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Harris is 83. Folk-pop singer-musician Bruce Woodley is 76. Rock musician Jim McCarty is 75. Rock musician Verdine White is 67. Singer-musician Jem Finer is 63. Model-actress Iman is 63. Cartoonist Ray Billingsley is 61. Rock musician Thurston Moore is 60. Celebrity chef/TV personality Geoffrey Zakarian is 59. Actress-singer Bobbie Eakes is 57. Actress Katherine Kelly Lang is 57. Actress Illeana Douglas is 53. Country singer Marty Brown is 53. Actor Matt LeBlanc is 51. Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson is 51. Rock musician Paavo Lotjonen is 50. Actor D.B. Woodside is 49. Actress Miriam Shor is 47. Actor David Denman is 45. Actor Jay R. Ferguson is 44. Actor James Lafferty is 33. Actress Shantel VanSanten is 33. Thought for Today : "Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless." — Sinclair Lewis, American author (1885-1951).
CONTACT US ing and searching for the unknown assailant. They released a composite sketch over the weekend that showed a man wearing glasses and a cap. They also released surveillance photos and video that appear to show the shooter riding behind Hausknecht, who was dressed in blue medical scrubs, moments before the fatal encounter. Flowers and a copy of the Bible were placed at a makeshift memorial near where Hausknecht was shot. — Compiled from AP reports
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SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata and Jim Hogg counties. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times in those areas at newstands, The Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas, 78044. Call (956) 728-2500.
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 |
LOCAL Kazen courthouse naming OK’d By Joana Santillana ZA PATA T I ME S
President Donald Trump’s signature is the final step needed to imprint a permanent mark of a respected Laredoan in an iconic local building. Retired U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen’s name will be visible to all visitors Kazen at the Laredo federal courthouse, located at 1300 Victoria St., if a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Monday is signed into law. U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, sponsored the bill with Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. The legislation had already passed in the Senate last month. Speaking Monday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Cuellar stressed the significance of this name change. “I am pleased to have this opportunity to honor such a noble individual,” he said. “Judge Kazen was known as an honest, humble and dedicated man. He was among the most respected judges in the state,
and consistently ruled with class and fairness, all the while still making time to serve in numerous civic organizations throughout South Texas. “The dedicating of this federal building and U.S. courthouse will serve as a reminder to us all of this great man of character who dutifully served his community.” Cuellar also recognized late U.S. Magistrate Judge Marcel C. Notzon II, who will have the federal courthouse central jury assembly room named after him. Kazen’s appeal crossed party lines. Texas’ two Republican senators had nothing but praise for the retired judge. “Judge Kazen has served as a leader both in the Air Force and in our nation’s judicial system, and I commend Rep. Henry Cuellar and our colleagues in the House for passing this legislation to honor his legacy at Laredo’s federal courthouse,” Cornyn said. “I look forward to the President signing this bill into law so that current residents and future generations of Laredo can be inspired by Judge Kazen’s public service.” “I am gratified my col-
Zapata Chamber schedules kid’s fishing tourney ZA PATA T I ME S
The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Back to School Kid’s Fishing Tournament is set for Saturday, Aug. 11 at Bravo Park. Registration starts at 7 a.m. Children must be between the ages of 3 to 12 in order to participate
and they must be accompanied by their parent/ guardian during the entire tournament. Children will receive a backpack, school supplies, food and refreshments, fishing rod, bait and T-shorts. The prizes are $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.
leagues in the House recognize Judge Kazen’s honorable service to the great state of Texas,” Cruz added. “Having served as a United States District Judge for over 40 years and as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, naming the courthouse in Laredo after him will serve as a lasting testament to his legacy.” A beloved figure allaround, Kazen, 78, is revered in the South Texas community as a scholar of the law. With a family tree full of attorneys and judges, this latest honor will add to the long list of accomplishments for the Kazen clan. An honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law at age 21, Kazen served a term as a briefing attorney for the Texas Supreme Court and entered the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate officer, where he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal. Kazen retired in March after serving almost four decades on the bench. Joana Santillana may be reached at 956-728-2528 or jsantillana@lmtonline.com
A3
Hispanic education programs SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said he has helped include over $1.5 billion in a U.S. House of Representative appropriations bill to expand education programs for low-income students and Hispanic student populations. The bill provides funding for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), federal TRiO programs and Pell grants. It also helps establish partnerships with higher education institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, historically black colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions. This bill passed full committee markup Wednesday and is scheduled to move for a vote on the House and Senate floors this summer. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Cuellar helped secure $360 million for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, a $10 million increase from fiscal year 2018. GEAR UP programs are designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants that provide funding for services at high-poverty middle and high schools. They also provide college scholarships to low-income students and fund support services for students including tutoring, mentoring, offering dual enrollment classes and college tours. The ob-
jectives of these programs are to increase academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education, increase high school graduation and postsecondary participation rates, and increase families’ knowledge of postsecondary options, preparation, and finances. Texas A&M International University has used GEAR UP funds to prepare over 8,000 students in 20 school districts throughout South Texas. “Through the GEAR UP Grant, (TAMIU) has been able to help thousands of South Texas' most promising students realize their potential and the opportunities formal higher education makes real,” said Minita Ramirez, TAMIU vice president for student success. “These GEAR UP students realize the long-term impact good education has for themselves and their families. This program and others like it open doors, create dreams, and fuel hopes for brighter futures.” Federal TRiO Programs This bill also includes over $1 billion for federal TRiO programs, a $50 million increase from fiscal year 2018. TRiO programs are federal outreach and student services programs designed to help individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds progress through their academic careers from middle school to post baccalaureate programs. These programs primarily serve low-income, first-generation college students, as well as students with disabilities, veterans, homeless youth, foster youth, and individuals underrepresented in graduate education (See attached bill language). Programs continues on A7
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A4 | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
A fact-based debate about Charter Schools By David Leonhardt N EW YORK T I ME S
A few years ago, the students at G.W. Carver High School held a protest in front of the school to object to its disciplinary policies. “We thought some of the rules were extreme,” Dominique Newton, then a sophomore, recalled. Jerel Bryant, Carver’s principal, told me, “In the moment, I did not look upon it fondly.” But the students were right. The rules were extreme. Students walking between classes had to stay on the right side of the hallway, for example. Most alarmingly, during the year of the protest, more than 60 percent of Carver’s students were suspended for at least one day. Getting suspended was normal. Carver is a charter school — a public school run not by a centralized board but by an independent operator. After Hurricane Katrina, virtually every public school in New Orleans became a charter, in an attempt to fix one of the nation’s worst districts. And the academic results have been impressive, as I described in my last column. Students are faring much better in reading, math, science and social studies, and more are graduating from high school and college. In today’s column, though, I’m going to talk a bit about the shortcomings in New Orleans. Along the way, I want to make a plea for thinking about the debate over education reform in a more nuanced, less absolutist way than often happens. There are two highprofile camps on education reform. Staunch defenders — who tend to be conservative — support not only charter schools but virtually all school choice, including vouchers for private schools. They see market competition as a cure-all. On the other side, the harshest critics of reform — who are largely progressive — oppose nearly any alternative to traditional schools. They view charters as a nefarious project of billionaires, and they think the academic progress is statistical hooey. Which side should you believe? Neither. I realize that the political left has a closer connection to reality than the right on many current issues, including climate change, voting rights, health care, Russian cyberattacks and Barack Obama’s birthplace. But education reform is different. On it, the much-mocked cliché that both sides are to blame happens to be true. The most extreme re-
formers have willfully ignored the fact that unregulated, anything-goes school choice keeps failing. Without oversight of schools, parents struggle to distinguish between the good and the bad, and kids suffer. Here’s what the evidence shows: Initially, charters’ overall results were no better than average. But they are now. The main reason, notes Margaret Raymond of Stanford University, is that regulators have shut or overhauled many of the worst-performing charters (which rarely happens with ineffective traditional schools). One form of charter has particularly impressive results — highly structured urban charters with high academic standards. These schools have their downsides, however. The disciplinary policies can be severe, as they were at Carver. The schools also rely on hardworking, moderately paid young teachers, many of whom can’t make a career of the work. And charter schools sometimes focus so much on academics that they overlook extracurriculars, as well a school’s role as a community center. I find the New Orleans story encouraging because of both the academic progress and the willingness to grapple with these shortcomings. Parents here know the progress is real, because their children have benefited from it. But they also know that the charter schools aren’t a magic bullet. This month, a locally elected board assumed control of all schools, ending the state’s postKatrina control. It is a time for New Orleans to think about how it might keep the positives of reform while addressing the negatives. Leaders here, for instance, are thinking about how to expand school accountability beyond test scores to include social and emotional skills. Some schools have also changed their disciplinary policies — including Carver. Administrators and students there came to a compromise that loosened some rules, like the one on hallway walking, and kept others. Last year, the suspension rate fell to 12 percent. I left New Orleans wishing that the national debate could be more like the debate here. It is full of strong opinions and disagreement, of course. But it also revolves more around facts than fixed beliefs. And isn’t that precisely how teachers tell students to approach a hard problem? David Leonhardt is a New York Times columnist.
COLUMN
The most important midterm in a generation By Frank Bruni NEW YORK TIME S
We got it wrong in 2016. We can get it right in 2018. There’s a far side to this American disgrace, a way to contain the damage, and it’s both utterly straightforward and entirely effective. It’s called voting. And from now until Nov. 6, we must stay fanatically focused on that — on registering voters, turning them out, directing money to the right candidates, donating time in the right places. The moral of the Helsinki freak show, the NATO tragicomedy and the children in cages near the border isn’t just that Donald Trump lacks any discernible conscience, real regard for this country or mature appreciation of history and our exalted part in it. It’s that this next election matters — immeasurably. There’s no hyperbole in the frequent assertion that it’s the most important midterm in a generation. And those of us rightly appalled by this president must devote as much energy to giving Democrats control of at least one chamber of Congress — and the ability to restrain him — as to finding fresh methods for mocking him. A blimp in a diaper is a hoot. A legislature with its foot on his throat is an insurance policy. We can’t lose sight of that, but in all our fury and feelings of helplessness, we sometimes do. Too many people spend too much of themselves on the shouting and save too little for the plotting, and Trump does his best to leave us morally wiped out. He’s a steamroller. But if we hang in there, we don’t have to be flattened. My plea isn’t a partisan one, nor am I romanticizing the Democratic Party,
which has problems galore. I’m recognizing that when it comes to babysitting this president, the Republican Party is a lost cause. Sure, congressional Republicans discovered a few stray vertebrae of backbone over the past few days; there was some scowling from Mitch McConnell and faint mewling from Paul Ryan. But Trump could put a babushka on the Statue of Liberty and those two would find a way to look to the side, or they’d pronounce her prettier than ever. That’s because they read polls, including an astonishing one that SurveyMonkey just did for Axios. It revealed that 79 percent of Republicans approved of Trump’s sycophantic performance at the news conference with Vladimir Putin, while 85 percent deem the investigation of Russian intrusion into our elections a distraction. They bear less and less resemblance to the followers of a coherent ideology and more and more to the members of a cult. That word is gaining currency in our political discourse for excellent reason. Congressional Republicans have decided that to cross Trump is to commit suicide. They need to be convinced that em>not /em>crossing him is as fatal a course. That’s what a big-enough blue wave would do, and that’s why once loyal Republicans who cannot abide him — columnist George Will, for one prominent example — have gone from chastising the Republican Party to cheerleading for the Democratic Party and urging Americans to support it in November. It’s the last resort. I’m anxious. That’s partly my nature, partly the stakes and partly the fact that Trump prevailed over deep disgust with
him before. I don’t believe, nor see any evidence, that more Americans wanted him as our president than wanted Hillary Clinton. But roughly 40 percent of Americans who were eligible to vote didn’t. Clinton was much preferred by the youngest voters, ages 18 to 29. But fewer than 1 in 2 of them cast a ballot. And Trump won the presidency because of about 78,000 ballots in three states. A nation’s direction can hinge on a margin that small. Every vote counts. Every voter counts, too. The Democratic Party and such Democrat-allied groups as Swing Left and Indivisible are using MobilizeAmerica software and other sophisticated digital tools to send that message, recruit volunteers and channel them toward where they’ll make the most difference. For instance, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s website allows a visitor to plug in his or her address, locate the nearest House districts that are up for grabs and learn how to help the Democratic candidates there. It doesn’t just solicit donations. It also lists phone-bank shifts that aren’t fully staffed. “We’re basically arming people,” Dan Sena, the DCCC’s executive director, told me. He stressed that living outside a swing district “doesn’t mean you don’t have a role in taking back the House.” Making phone calls or sending mail may be more tedious than fashioning cheeky social-media posts that circulate among friends and preach to the choir. It may also be more impactful. A few days ago Michelle Obama announced that her main contribution to the midterms will be building voter turnout. She understands that
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letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
there’s a lot of speechifying already and it takes us only so far. Numbers decide our fate — and Trump’s. Some of those numbers look good. In the second quarter of 2018, about 55 Democratic candidates for the House raised more money than the Republican incumbents they’re challenging. But not all of the primaries this year have yielded the kind of turnout that Democrats had hoped for; a few suggested that Republicans’ engagement is every bit as strong as Democrats’. “We do have some concerns,” Sena said. It’s time, after this wretched and stupefying past week, to allay them. Does our discipline rise to the level of our anger? Does our will? A largeenough showing by voters opposed to Trump would overcome the forces of gerrymandering and overwhelm the Koch brothers. The fight may not be fair, but its outcome isn’t foreordained. There’s a chance here — an excellent one — to establish a check on the president’s worst impulses and a limit to the harm he’s doing. But we have to seize it. We can’t count on Robert Mueller, the special counsel, because we don’t know what he’ll ultimately report or whether, after the perfervid campaign to discredit him, it will stick to Trump. But elections em>do /em>stick. Ask Hillary Clinton. To blunt Trump’s attack on our democracy, we have to use our democracy. We can restore faith in it by showing faith in it. For all its corruptions and imperfections, it still gives us a power — through our ballots — that exceeds even the most powerhungry president’s. Frank Bruni is a New York Times columnist.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 |
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 |
NATIONAL More than 450 may have been deported without children By Miriam Jordan N EW YORK T I ME S
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to tell a federal court Tuesday that more than 450 migrant parents whose children were separated from them are no longer in the United States, raising questions about whether the parents fully understood that they were being deported without their children. A report filed before a hearing in U.S. District Court in San Diego suggests that nearly one-fifth of 2,551 parents whose children were taken from them after crossing the southwest border were either swiftly deported before they could be reunited with their children or somehow opted to leave the country without them. The number could change since the Justice Department in its filing states that the cases are “under review.” However, it is the first time the government has disclosed that hundreds of migrant families may now face formidable barriers of bureaucracy and distance that were unforeseen in the early stages of the government’s “zero-tolerance” policy on border enforcement. The government’s previous estimate of the number of such cases was just 12, though that applied only to parents of the youngest children. “We are extremely worried that a
PROGRAMS From page A3 At TAMIU, the TRiO Student Support Services Program helps increase college retention and graduation rates of its participants. The program supports its students by offering academic tutoring, personal and academic counseling, and leadership conferences. Pell grants Cuellar announced that he helped maintain the maximum award for Pell Grants, $6,095, which will provide support to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating institutions.
large percentage of parents may already have been removed without their children,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is challenging the government’s handling of migrant children. He said further clarification is needed to understand just what has happened. Some immigrant advocates said many migrant parents have agreed to be deported quickly with the understanding that it would speed up their ability to recover their children — perhaps not understanding that they would be leaving their children behind. “Our attorney volunteers working with detained separated parents are seeing lots of people who signed forms that they didn’t understand,” said Taylor Levy, legal coordinator at Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, which assists migrants. “They thought the only way they would see their child again is by agreeing to deportation.” “It is particularly problematic for indigenous Guatemalans who are not fluent in Spanish and were not given explanations in their native languages,” she added. In an attempt to staunch the flow of immigrants, the Trump administration in May launched a policy under which every adult caught entering the country illegally was potentially subject to criminal prosecution. As part of the crackdown, some 3,000 children were removed from their parents.
This continues funding for yearround, or "summer," Pell grants, that will provide approximately 1 million students nationwide with an additional grant averaging $1,650. More than 29,000 students in Texas’ 28th Congressional district received Pell grants for the 2016-17 school year, adding up to more than $122 million distributed to students in Cuellar’s district. “I know firsthand the transformative power of education,” Cuellar said. “I experienced it in my own life. We need to ensure that every student, regardless of their economic background, is prepared to compete in a 21st-century, competitive job market. These programs provide academic assistance to firstgeneration and disadvantaged students in college, ensuring that they have the resources they need to succeed.”
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A8 | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER MISCONDUCT From page A1
and distinction, working tirelessly every day to keep our country safe.” Owens added that the agency stands with the community and local law enforcement partners in dealing with cases of this nature. “We do not tolerate any type of criminal activity within our ranks,” he said. “We condemn any actions that betray the trust of the community we serve.” Owens said that in recent years there have not been any significant changes to the eligibility requirements to become a Border Patrol agent. However, an internal memo written by CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan had floated the idea of loosening the polygraph test hiring requirement for Border Patrol agents, according to an Associated Press report. Sexual assault The first incident on this list involves a Border Patrol agent in Laredo who was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman, tampering with physical evidence and official oppression. Official oppression is when a public servant, “acting under the color of his office or employment,” intentionally subjects another to sexual harassment or mistreatment, detention, search and seizure. The agent, David Villarreal, 32, was served with arrest warrants on March 26 after he turned himself in to Laredo police. That same day, a woman in her Villarreal 30s told two LPD officers on patrol that she had been sexually assaulted within the past 24 hours, police said. LPD’s special investigations unit took on the case and identified Villarreal as the suspect. In collaboration with U.S. Border Patrol and the Office of Professional Responsibility, LPD presented its findings to the District Attorney’s Office, which approved warrants for Villarreal’s arrest. He posted bond that same day, court records show. Sara Melendez, Laredo Sector Border Patrol spokeswoman, said the agency takes the allegations seriously, and will cooperate with any investigation of alleged employee misconduct. They said that although it was CBP policy not to comment about ongoing investigations, they did not tolerate any such acts. Laredo police said the case has not
Courtesy photo
Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles is facing two counts of capital murder in connection with the slaying of Grizelda “Grey” Hernandez, 27, and her son Dominic Alexander Hernandez, 1.
been turned over to the Webb County District Attorney’s Office due to pending forensic evidence. Villarreal is currently suspended without pay, according to Border Patrol. Capital murder One of the most high-profile cases in the mix was the slaying of a 27-year-old mother and her 1-year-old son. Police initially said that the bodies of a woman and child were found in the brush by Bristol Road and Allen Drive, near Father Charles McNaboe Park on April 9. The supervisory Border Patrol agent who reported that he had found the woman’s body, Ronald Anthony BurgosAviles, was later found to have known her and was identified as the main suspect, according to authorities Burgos-Aviles, 29, requested assistance from other agents and also called LPD to ask for an ambulance for the woman, who was found with lacerations to her head. She was lying face down with a large amount of blood near her head and the front of her abdomen. An assisting agent located a second body in close proximity to the woman. The child had blood on his pants and on his neck area. Across from where the child was located, a stroller was discovered with blood on the seat. LPD detectives also located an abandoned white Mercedes sedan, which was owned by the woman’s sister, Angelica Hernandez. Hernandez told detectives that her sister, Grizelda Hernandez, was to meet her son’s father at the park nearMisconduct continues on A10
Sports&Outdoors
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 |
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Cowboys DE Randy Gregory fully reinstated by the NFL
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: DALLAS MAVERICKS
Gregory to live with an accountability partner By Clarence E. Hill Jr. FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has been fully reinstated to practice and play in games, an NFL source said. Gregory, who hasn’t played since the 2016 season finale because of an indefinite suspension due to repeated violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, was reinstated on a conditional basis last week. He was cleared only for meetings and conditioning work. He was not going to be cleared to practice or play in games until "arrangements have been confirmed regarding Gregory’s clinical resources in Dallas, and subject to continued compliance with the terms of his reinstatement and all aspects of the NFLNFLPA Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse," the NFL stated in its initial release.
Gregory had met those conditions for living in Dallas but needed to get those matters squared away for his three-week stay in Oxnard, California, for training camp. In addition to going through continued counseling and testing as well as finding a treatment program in Dallas, Gregory is required to live with an accountability partner, a source said. It’s all part of a focus to keep him accountable and hopefully ensure his success. Gregory will meet the Cowboys on Tuesday in Oxnard for the start of training camp. "Just really excited about Randy. He’s worked very hard to get himself back into this position," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "It’ll be good to see him. He’s a good kid, and he deserves this opportunity." The former second-round pick has 20 tackles and one sack
Brandon Wade / Associated Press file
Randy Gregory missed last season while suspended indefinitely for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
in the 14 games he has played. The Cowboys plan to ease Gregory back because of his time away from the game. "He’s worked hard physically to get himself right. He’s been away from football, so there will be some challenges in terms of his transition back," Garrett said. "He hasn’t been with our team at all, he hasn’t been competing with NFL players so there might be a little bit of a transition for him, so we have to
be mindful of that. "We’ll just have to see where he is. But we’re excited to have him back, and I know he’s excited to get going." He has worked with former Raiders defensive end Greg Townsend to brush up on his football skills. But there will be rust. If Gregory can show enough in camp to become a situational pass rusher in his first year back, it would be a great boost to the Cowboys.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: HOUSTON ROCKETS
ROCKETS ON THE VERGE OF SIGNING ANTHONY Houston waiting on trade, waiver to go through to sign forward By Jonathan Feigen H OUSTON CHRONICLE
After years spent in pursuit, the Rockets appear at last on the verge of landing 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony. What they will get with the move, at the cost of no more than a minimum contract, is far less predictable and could go a long way toward determining if they can close the gap on the Warriors in a chase that has lasted nearly as long. Anthony’s soon to be former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, have not completed the trade that will enable Anthony to sign with his next team. When the steps are complete, however, Anthony will sign with the Rockets as a free agent, the New York Times reported Monday, a decision widely expected since the Thunder chose to end their experiment with Anthony after one season. The Thunder have to complete the three-team trade that will send Anthony’s contract into the Atlanta Hawks’ cap space, a move held up while the 76ers work toward a separate trade that must be completed first. Anthony would then have to clear waivers before he would become a free agent. Once those steps are complete, Anthony will be a free agent for the first time since 2014, when he visited with Rockets officials and toured the team’s facilities. The Rockets then sought to sell him on the idea he could be “the key to a championship formula,” with his likeness famously and controversially decked out in Jeremy Lin’s No. 7. Anthony returned to the Knicks that summer with a max five-year contract but last year agreed to waive his notrade clause to facilitate a deal
Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press file
Carmelo Anthony will reportedly join Chris Paul and the Rockets once his trade from the Thunder to the Hawks becomes official and he clears waivers.
to Oklahoma City. Finally, with the Thunder moving Anthony’s contract to get enormous luxury tax savings, the Rockets’ long-held feelings about adding Anthony to their mix appears mutual. The Rockets have been confident they will sign Anthony since meeting with him in Las Vegas this month, individuals familiar with the team’s thinking said at the time. The Thunder also granted permission to the Miami Heat to meet with Anthony. He met with Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, general manager Daryl Morey, vice president Gersson Rosas, coach Mike D’Antoni and Chris Paul in Las Vegas days after Luc Mbah a Moute became the second small forward, joining Trevor Ariza, to leave the Rockets this offseason. But the Rockets had hoped to sign Anthony before Mbah a Moute’s decision and intend to play him extensively at power forward. Anthony will receive his full $27.9 million salary, with the Rockets paying only his veteran’s minimum of $2.4 million. That will allow them to keep their taxpayer mid-level exception. They likely will use some
of that $5.3 million to sign rookies De’Anthony Melton and Isaiah Hartenstein to three-year deals while keeping some of the exception money for a possible in-season freeagent move. Anthony, 34, has averaged 24.1 points on 44.9 percent shooting with three teams in his career. He averaged a career-low 16.2 points with the Thunder, more than six points fewer than in his final season with the Knicks. The Rockets, however, will not count on Anthony to fill the role he had with the Knicks or to be “the key to a championship formula.” They do believe he can add a jolt of scoring, especially with the second unit, that was lacking in the Western Conference finals against the Warriors. The Rockets averaged just 103.5 points per 100 possessions against Golden State — eight points below their regularseason average — even before Paul’s strained hamstring kept him out for the final two games of the series. The Warriors’ switching defense allowed them to contest 3-pointers without much concern about the Rockets’ forwards creating off the dribble.
Anthony could be an answer to that and should fit much better with the more controlled playmaking styles of Paul and James Harden than he did with the Thunder and Russell Westbrook. Anthony made 37.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s last season and 41.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts from the 3-point line in his final season with the Knicks. The Rockets create more open 3s than any previous team in NBA history. He could also benefit from the Rockets’ better spacing and the mix when playing with the reserves. The question will likely be on defense, where the Rockets made their greatest strides last season and had the Warriors on the brink via a switching style that would not fit Anthony. The Rockets burned him on switches last season, with Anthony having similar issues in the Thunder’s playoff series against Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz. But in the final matchup with the Rockets, the Thunder successfully moved off that style to have Anthony show on screens and return to his own matchup, an option the Rockets could use, especially with the second unit. The Rockets could also use James Ennis to offer a more defensive-oriented option, with Anthony working at power forward in the role Ryan Anderson had before falling out of the rotation. The addition of Anthony would likely limit Anderson to time as a smallball center, unless he is moved or released before the season. Though Anthony could bring Anderson’s range shooting, the Rockets hope he will add a good deal more, with Harden last week saying signing Anthony “would be a great acquisition for us.” “Melo’s a proven vet,” Harden said. “He just wants to win at this point, so it would be great for him to be on our team.” jonathan.feigen@chron.com twitter.com/jonathan_feigen
Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press file
Dirk Nowitzki will become the first player in NBA history to play 21 seasons with the same team after resigning Monday on a one-year, $5 million contract.
Nowitzki inks deal with the Mavs By Eddie Sefko THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
The only question now for Dirk Nowitzki is when the statue goes up. The Mavericks can start planning on the specifics. Nowitzki on Monday signed a $5 million deal that will ensure he plays a record-smashing 21st season with the Mavericks. He will earn the same as he would have if the Mavericks had picked up the option year on the contract he signed in 2017 for two years. It was a formality. Everybody knew he was staying with the Mavericks. The team renounced his deal on June 29 because they thought they’d need that money for free agency. But DeAndre Jordan came cheaper than that. Nowitzki will become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons with the same organization. It is believed this will be his final season, but Nowitzki has been careful not to etch anything in stone as his career winds down. The Mavericks should get a jump-start on how to properly commemorate Nowitzki’s Maverick life. If the organization wants to do the right thing they should have that statue in front of American Airlines Center ready to go when this season ends. The one-legged fadeaway would be great. At the least, we get to watch the 13-time All-Star one more season. He has seen his playing time reduced in deference to his age the last couple of seasons and it’s possible he could take on a reserve role this year for the first time since his rookie season, although no decisions have been made on that, coach Rick Carlisle emphasized recently. Nowitzki averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game last season. What remains to be seen is how his 21st season will be treated. Nowitzki has said numerous times that he does not want to be part of any sort of "farewell tour." However, when somebody has been identified with an organization for more than two decades, it’s hard not to expect some tributes along the way.
A10 | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER MISCONDUCT From page A8
by. Hernandez said to LPD that his name was Anthony Aviles and was employed as a Border Patrol agent. After determining that Burgos-Aviles was a person of interest, he was taken to police headquarters for questioning. During his questioning, authorities searched his Border Patrol unit. Two cellphones were recovered. They belonged to Grizelda Hernandez. BurgosAviles and the victim had several exchanges via different social media networks regarding their son, the slain child, authorities said. At the crime scene, the medical examiner pronounced Grizelda Hernandez dead at 2:44 p.m. due to multiple stab wounds to the face and neck area. She also had defensive wounds on her hands, authorities said. Dominic Hernandez was pronounced dead at 2:46 p.m. due to a stab wound to his neck and heart. Burgos-Aviles was indicted on two counts of capital murder on June 27 and is being held at the Webb County Jail with no bond. His attorney said his client maintains his innocence and will soon be asking for another bond hearing. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Border Patrol confirmed that Burgos-Aviles has been suspended indefinitely without pay. Theft Luis Enrique Aranda, 24, is another agent who was arrested in April. In a crime that pales in comparison to the previous incidents, Aranda was arrested for allegedly pawning his governmentissued night vision equipment after he reported it as stolen to his supervisors. He was served with an
Laredo Morning Times Courtesy photo
Luis Enrique Aranda, 24, was charged him with state jail felony theft.
arrest warrant in Eagle Pass, charging him with state jail felony theft, punishable by up to two years behind bars and a $10,000 fine. On Feb. 23, the Laredo Police Department received a theft report for stolen U.S. government equipment or night vision goggles worth $2,700. The report was filed following an inventory of Aranda's equipment. Because he received a transfer from the Laredo Sector to Del Rio Sector, Aranda had to return certain equipment to the Laredo Sector. Police said Aranda told a Border Patrol supervisor that the night vision goggles had been stolen. But on April 17, a Border Patrol supervisor called an LPD detective saying that an off-duty agent spotted equipment that resembled theirs at the Buffalo Pawn located at McPherson Road and International Boulevard. Authorities then discovered that Aranda had pawned the item there for $200, according to police. He was released on bond on April 25. Melendez said that due to privacy issues and since the incident is still under investigation, the agency could not disclose Aranda’s employment status. Lethal force In another incident that
Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 28, appeared in court for the first time on April 19, asking the judge to set a bond and seeking his release for lack of probable cause.
garnered international attention, an agent fatally shot an undocumented immigrant in Rio Bravo, with federal authorities initially saying that the agent shot the woman after multiple people attacked him with blunt objects. The woman was later identified as 20-year-old Claudia Patricia Gomez Gonzalez from Honduras. The shooting occurred May 23 in the 1800 block of Centeno Lane as Border Patrol tried to halt an alleged human smuggling attempt. Border Patrol said in a statement that a lone agent responded to a report of illegal activity near a culvert by Centeno Lane at about 12:20 p.m. The agency said he discovered a group of undocumented immigrants. “Initial reports indicate that as the agent attempted to apprehend the group, he came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects," the statement read. "The agent fired at least one round from his serviceissued firearm, fatally wounding one of the assailants. “The rest of the group fled the scene. Border Patrol agents called for EMS and administered first aid until the Rio Bravo Fire Department arrived.” Three immigrants were apprehended by agents.
Local, state and federal authorities were at the scene following the shooting. Only a few days later, a news release issued by Border Patrol dropped the reference to an attack with blunt objects in the deadly encounter. “According to the agent, the group ignored his verbal commands and instead rushed him,” the release stated.
When asked about the difference in reporting what happened, a Border Patrol spokesman declined to comment, citing the open investigation. A witness had already disputed the original report that the immigrants had attacked, saying that the group was hiding when the Border Patrol agent found them and that no one in the group had a weapon. The attorney for the agent, a 15-year Border Patrol veteran, said his client had not committed any wrongdoing. The Laredo Immigrant Alliance, whose leaders said they were “outraged” by Gomez’s death, held a vigil at a local park to honor Gomez and others who have lost their lives on the border. The American Civil Liberties Union’s Border Rights Center also was concerned about the details surrounding Gomez’s death and cited a recent analysis conducted by The
Guardian showing that Border Patrol agents have been involved in nearly 100 “fatal encounters” since 2003 and have paid out roughly $60 million in wrongful death settlements. ACLU officials have called for Border Patrol to expand its use of body cameras to every agent in the field; the federal agency is testing the use of body cameras in nine areas but Laredo is not one of them. The identity of the agent remains unknown. Yanira De Leon, spokesperson for the Webb County District Attorney’s Office, said they are working with the Texas Rangers, FBI and other law enforcement agencies to secure the evidence and make the decision on how to proceed with the case. The Associated Press and LMT reporters César G. Rodriguez and Julia Wallace contributed to this report.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 25, 2018 |
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BUSINESS
Facebook sets up subsidiary in China, where it’s blocked A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Facebook is blocked in China but it’s still setting up a subsidiary in the world’s most populous country. The company says it wants to set up an “innovation hub” in Zhejiang to support Chinese developers, innovators and
startups. It has done the same elsewhere, including France, Brazil, South Korea and India. But it is not blocked in those countries. Facebook said on Tuesday that the subsidiary will focus on training and workshops for developers and entrepreneurs. According to The Washing-
ton Post, a filing published on China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System listed the company as Facebook Technology (Hangzhou) Co. The filing, which is no longer accessible, noted that the company is owned by Facebook Hong Kong Ltd. It has registered capital of $30 million.
Matt Rourke / Associated Press
In this file photo, the Facebook logo is displayed on an iPad in Philadelphia. Facebook is setting up a subsidiary in China, the worlds most populous country where it remains blocked.
Farmers to receive up to $12 Billion to ease pain from Trump’s trade war By Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ana Swanson N EW YORK T I ME S
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Tuesday plans to announce up to $12 billion in emergency relief for farmers hurt by the president’s trade war, according to two people familiar with the plans, in an effort to insulate food producers from looming financial losses that would be a direct result of President Donald Trump’s policies. The aid to farmers, to be announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, would come through a direct assistance program, one designed to help with food purchase and distribution and specifically geared toward promoting trade, according to one of the people. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to pre-empt a planned announcement later Tuesday. The move is an indication that Trump — ignoring the concerns of farmers, their representatives in Congress and even some of his own aides about the adverse consequences of a trade war he says he relishes — plans to plow forward in esca-
lating his tariff tit-for-tat around the world. The approach could cost U.S. producers billions of dollars and potentially inflict political pain on Republicans in farm states who would be forced to answer for the policies of a president who has shown little regard for the consequences of his trade agenda. “Tariffs are the greatest!” Trump declared on Twitter on Tuesday morning. “Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on Trade negotiates a fair deal, or it gets hit with Tariffs. It’s as simple as that — and everybody’s talking! Remember, we are the “piggy bank” that’s being robbed. All will be Great!” The European Union, Canada, Mexico, China and other countries have responded to Trump’s tariffs on steel, aluminum and $34 billion worth of Chinese products by imposing taxes of their own. They have often chosen to target farm country, the source of some of America’s biggest exports and an important political base for the president. U.S. soybeans, pork, sugar, orange juice, cherries and other products now face tariffs in foreign
Nati Harnik / Associated Press
Farmer Don Bloss examines a tall sorghum plant in his field in Pawnee City, Neb. Farmers and agricultural economists are worried that president Donald Trump’s trade, immigration and biofuels policies will cost farms billions of dollars in lost income and force some out of business.
markets that make their products less desirable. Trump and his advisers have argued that while U.S. producers may feel short-term pain from his protectionist stance, ultimately they will benefit from it as other countries lower their barriers to U.S. products. The aid was first reported by The Washington Post. The administration has sought ways for the Agriculture Department to help farmers survive the pain of retaliation. As part
of the program to be announced Tuesday, the department is expected to draw on the financial resources of a program known as the Commodity Credit Corporation, which helps shore up U.S. farmers by buying their crops. The initiative, which would not authorize any new money and thus not need approval from Congress, was a way for Trump to tamp down criticism of his trade policies. But it was also an unmistakable signal that
the president has no plans to lift his tariffs any time soon, as Farm Belt senators have pleaded. The plan met with swift condemnation from Republicans and trade groups, who said that Trump had devised an expensive and clunky solution to a crisis of Depression-era proportions. “This trade war is cutting the legs out from under farmers and White House’s ‘plan’ is to spend $12 billion on gold crutches,” said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. “This administration’s tariffs and bailouts aren’t going to make America great again, they’re just going to make it 1929 again.” One trade group leader said farmers need contracts, not aid, for stability. “The best relief for the president’s trade war would be ending the trade war,” said Brian Kuehl, executive director of the trade group Farmers for Free Trade, adding, “This proposed action would only be a short-term attempt at masking the long-term damage caused by tariffs.” Farm groups say their members have already suffered under lower global commodity prices and natural disasters. The prospect of retaliation has
further upended global markets for soybeans, meat and other U.S. farm exports, and farmers are warning that tariffs are costing them valuable foreign contracts that took years to win. The White House has argued that the tariffs are a negotiating strategy that will allow the president to secure better trade deals, and that the pain the tariffs is inflicting is small in comparison to the potential economic gains. In an interview on CNBC last week, Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, said that the amount of trade being affected by the tariffs was a “rounding error” compared to the vast size of the Chinese and U.S. economies. “My point is that it’s much less disruptive than these headlines would suggest,” he said. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, responded by noting that more than 456,000 jobs are supported by trade in her state alone. “These new tariffs are threatening $977 million in state exports,” Ernst said. “That is no ‘rounding error.’ Those are real people — Iowans — who are waiting for terms to be negotiated, for new deals to be finalized.”
Tech companies lead US stocks higher on strong earnings By Alex Veiga A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
U.S. stocks moved broadly higher Tuesday as investors welcomed strong quarterly earnings reports from Google parent Alphabet, drugmaker Biogen and other companies. Technology and health care stocks accounted for much of the market’s gains. Energy companies rose along with the price of crude oil. Utilities and other safe-play, high-divi-
dend stocks lagged the market. The S&P 500 index rose 16 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,823 as of noon Eastern Time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 195 points, or 0.8 percent, to 25,239. The Nasdaq composite climbed 37 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,878. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks reversed an early gain, giving up 5 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,692. The S&P 500, the market’s benchmark index, is on a three-week winning streak.
This is the busiest week for the second-quarter earnings season, with roughly a third of companies in the S&P 500 scheduled to report, including Amazon, Facebook, Boeing and Ford Motor. Of the 17.4 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 that had issued quarterly results as of Monday, some 71 percent reported earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ forecasts, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s reinforced the underlying perception in the
financial markets that the U.S. economy is performing strongly and that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month. Google parent Alphabet gained 4.3 percent to $1,262.81 after the company reported second-quarter earnings late Monday that topped Wall Street’s expectations even as it booked a $5.1 billion charge to cover a fine levied by European regulators. Alphabet led the marketleading rally in technology stocks.
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FROM THE COVER MURDERS From page A1 about 4 percent compared to the second half of 2017. "The curve may be flattening out," Hope noted, though he cautioned it is too early to tell. Some areas, like the northern border state of Baja California, showed big jumps in murder rates, which others saw sharp drops. Baja California, home to the border city of Tijuana, saw 1,463 homicides in the first half of the year, a 44 percent increase over the same period of 2017. Authorities have attributed the spate of killings to battles between the Jalisco and Sinaloa drug cartels for control of trafficking routes in Baja California. The state is now Mexico's second most violent, with a homicide rate for the first six months of the year equivalent to 71 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. By comparison, Honduras and El Salvador — some of the deadliest countries in the world — have homicide rates of around 60 per 100,000. Mexico's most dangerous state is Colima, on the Pacific coast, which saw a 27-percent rise in killings and now has a homicide rate of about 80 per 100,000. The Jalisco cartel is also active there. The central state of Guanajuato, home to the colonial city of San Miguel Allende, saw a 122-percent increase in homicides, which were running at a rate of about 40 per 100,000. Authorities say much of the killing is related to gangs of fuel thieves who drill taps into government pipelines. But in Baja California Sur, home to the resorts like La Paz and Los Cabos, a stepped-up police presence apparently helped reduce killings. The 125 homicides in the state were less than half the number registered in the
first six months of 2017 and a quarter the number in the last half of 2017. Extra police and troops were sent in after warring drug gangs increased killings in the state in 2017. Hope noted that in about half of Mexico's 32 states and the capital, murder rates didn't rise much or at all. "Now the growth is becoming concentrated" in some areas. It is hard to tell why growth in homicide rates seem to have tapered off in historically violent states like Guerrero, which is home to more than a dozen gangs and is a main growing area for opium poppies. "The growth in the use of fentanyl could be reducing the harvest of opium poppies, and that could be having an effect" on murder rates, Hope said. Farmers in Guerrero say prices for opium paste
have dropped to unprofitable levels because drug cartels are substituting it for cheaper, easier to obtain synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Still, not all of Mexico's resort areas fared as well as Baja California Sur. The Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo, home to resorts like Cancun, Tulum and Cozumel, saw homicides rise by 132 percent, to the equivalent of about 35 killings per 100,000. The state accounts for almost half of Mexico's national tourism income. And Mexico has seen international resorts like Acapulco and Zihuatanejo dragged down by a reputation for violence in the past. "The can stop it (violence in Quintana Roo), but they have to take care of it very quickly," Hope said.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Board recommends Cosby be found a sexually violent predator
John Waters, others celebrate the anniversary of 'Hairspray' By Michael Cidoni Lennox ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Claudia Lauer A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
Bill Cosby should be classified as a sexually violent predator, according to an evaluation by Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board. The district attorney’s office that prosecuted Cosby asked a judge in a filing Tuesday to schedule a hearing on whether to accept the recommendation. No date was immediately set. “We will see them in court,” responded Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s spokesman. The 81-year-old comedian was convicted April 26 of aggravated indecent assault. He was accused of drugging and assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his home near Philadelphia in 2004. The weekslong retrial in suburban Philadelphia included testimony from five other women who were among dozens who have stepped forward to accuse Cosby of similar sexual misconduct. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, as Constand has done. The former TV star once known as “America’s Dad” for his portrayal of kindly Dr. Cliff Huxtable on his NBC hit “The Cosby Show” is now confined to his home awaiting sentencing , which is scheduled for Sept. 24. He faces up to 10 years in prison. His
representatives have said he plans to appeal. Superior Court Cosby Judge Steven O’Neill, who presided at the trial, ordered him to be outfitted with a GPS monitoring bracelet and required him to seek permission to leave home, and only then to visit with lawyers or go to the doctor. The report by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which examined 14 different criteria, is not public. Copies are given to the prosecutor, defense attorney and court before the hearing and the board’s assessor will likely testify about how she made the recommendation. State law already requires Cosby to register as a sex offender because of the nature of the charge of which he was convicted. The sexually violent predator classification would require increased treatment in prison and increased notification of neighbors upon release. A person deemed a predator is subject to lifetime, at least monthly, mandatory sex offender counseling with a treatment provider approved by the state board. Under Pennsylvania law, a sexually violent predator is defined as a person who has a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.
LOS ANGELES — Ricki Lake never in her wildest dreams thought she'd be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film "Hairspray" at the lofty Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "I never thought the movie was going to come out, let alone have this life span. And for me to be alive 30 years later, for me to be turning 50 in two months ... you know, it's all kind of surreal," she said. Most of the film's surviving stars, as well as its writer-director John Waters, gathered Monday at the Academy for a special screening of the film, hosted by Oscar-winning Barry Jenkins, the writerdirector of "Moonlight." Jenkins was just age 8 when the film was released, but he said his parents were big fans of the period comedy, set in 1962 Baltimore. It's about a teen-dance TV show that is rocked when a short, plump dynamo — the adorable Tracy Turnblad — unseats Amber Von Tussle, the nasty blond beauty who long has been the reigning queen. Turmoil ensues when Tracy suggests producers stop limiting black dancers' appearances and pushes for the show to be fully integrated. Jenkins noted that Waters' script is loosely based on real events. "In real life, that show never integrated. It just went off the air rather than integrate," Jenkins said. "I think John gives us this very
happy, hopeful ending, by having the show integrate at the end of his version of the film. So I think, even in that, you see that he was trying to say that it is possible for us to come together." As for the film's prointegration message, Waters noted: "It was a sneak attack. It was a Trojan horse. It was the only radical movie I ever made, because it snuck in middle America. And they didn't notice. I mean, they didn't notice the message. Well, they did notice the message. But I've said that even racists like 'Hairspray.'" Before "Hairspray," Waters had directed just a handful of features that earned him a cult following. But "Hairspray" was his breakthrough, marking his introduction to
mainstream audiences. It also marked a breakthrough for American actor, singer and drag queen Divine, who portrayed Tracy's mother Edna. Divine died of complications from an enlarged heart just a little more than a week after the film's wide release. Blondie lead singer and "Hairspray" actress
Debbie Harry remembered her co-star. "Divine was very generous and relaxed and sort of soulful and there's that soft voice," Harry recalled. "And then we had to struggle during the scene of the exploding hair. And I had bruises on my arms. Mother was very strong!"