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Four teenagers were arrestedand accused of stealing morethan $16,000 in electronics in theearly hours of March 6.

Deputies identified the allegedoffenders as Richard Dwaine Be-navides, 17; Javier Alberto Bur-uato, 17; Roberto Camacho, 17,and Jose Victor Chavez, 17. Allteenagers are facing charges forburglary of a habitation, engag-ing in organized criminal activ-ity and two counts of burglary ofa vehicle.

Zapata County sheriff ’s depu-ties responded to a burglary callat 1:55 a.m. March 6 in the 1000block of Fresno Street. Officialsmet with a 35-year-old man whoalleged his house was burglar-ized.

According to Sgt. Mario Eli-zondo, a man told deputies he

found the back door opened andthe door knob loose. He alsomentioned to authorities his2006 Jeep and a 2001 Tahoe were

PUBLIC SAFETY

Theft accusationsends 4 teens to jail

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

RICHARD DWAINE BENAVIDES: Jailed inlieu of $71,000bond.

JAVIER ALBERTO BURUATO: Jailed inlieu of $71,000bond.

ROBERTO CAMACHO:Jailed in lieu of$71,000 bond.

JOSE VICTOR CHAVEZ:Jailed in lieu of$71,000 bond.

See TEENS PAGE 10A

In addition to the potentiallythorny matter of getting the Za-pata County Economic Develop-ment corporation back ontrack, the Zapata County Com-missioners Court has a fullagenda for its meeting Monday.

Commissioners will hear astatus report on implementa-tion of the county’s new Amuse-ment Redemption Machine Or-dinance, which governs the useof maquinitas. Approved in Jan-uary, the ordinance took effectFeb. 1.

Juvenile assistanceJuvenile Probation Officer

Roger Miller requested twoitems on the agenda, one to ap-prove submitting a JuvenileJustice Alternative Grant to thegovernor’s office and another toapprove the Zapata CountyCriminal Justice CommunityPlan.

Also on the agenda are twoitems dealing with the ZapataCounty Little League fields.One would solicit bids for ser-vices to maintain the fields andthe other would solicit bids tomaintain the concession stands.

In efforts to take full advan-tage of technological advances

to increase public access tocounty business, the court willconsider authorizing Pixl Stu-dios to convert Zapata CountyCommissioners Court meetingvideos onto a streaming websiteand to have the company devel-op web pages for each of thecommissioners.

EventsThere are several communi-

ty-oriented items on the agen-da. One would allow ZapataCounty employees to partici-pate in the annual “Show YourPride” day to benefit the JimmyFoundation for Cancer Re-search in conjunction withESPN. Another would allow theuse of the Oswald H. and Juan-ita G. Ramirez Exhibit Hall forthe Texas Association of BassClub Fishing Tournament onSept. 23-24, and allow the SanAntonio Metro Fishing Tourna-ment to use the hall Sept. 30-Oct.2.

Medicine collectionAnd commissioners will con-

sider approving use of the frontarea of the Zapata CountyCourthouse by the Drug En-forcement Administration as adrop-off point for unused pre-scription medication on April30, from 10 a.m. to noon.

ZAPATA COUNTY

Commissionerslooking at lotson the agenda

Amusements law toget a review

By DIANA R. FUENTESLAREDO MORNING TIMES

See ZAPATA PAGE 10A

Walking into the exhibit hall at the Zapa-ta County Fair Grounds, one will prob-ably be greeted by a man in traditionalTexas garb: jeans, button-down shirt

and a noticeably nice cowboy hat.“Were y’all lookin’ for something?” he’ll say, like

he runs the place.In fact, Charlie the Hatman is neither Texan nor

does he run the exhibit hall. But he has been trav-eling down from Montana to the Zapata CountyFair to custom-make hats like the one sitting onhis head for the last 25 years.

He has been in the business for 33.Animatedly, Charlie the Hatman shows visitors

ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR

ABOVE: Charlie The Hatman, who hails from Montana and sells cowboy hats, has been participating at the Zapata CountyFair for the last 25 years. BELOW: The Zapata County Fair carnival offers a variety of rides for visitors of all ages.

Photos by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

PARADE TODAYThere’s still time toenjoy thrill rides,

music and shoppingopportunities

By ERICA MATOSTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See FAIR PAGE 6A

Operations at the Zapata Eco-nomic Development Center weresuspended in one of the final ac-tions the organization’s boardtook before the majority of itsmembers resigned last week.

Peggy Umphres Moffett, presi-

dent and chief executive officer ofEDC, said that the center’s officesare closed, but no employees havebeen terminated. The board sus-pended operations because therewas not enough money to pay em-ployees until the county makes itsnext payment, which is scheduledApril 1. The county gives the or-ganization $85,000 a year, doled

out in quarterly payments.Umphres said she offered to

work until April 1, when shecould be reimbursed, but shespeculated the board did not havefaith that the county would makeits quarterly payment. She addedthat if the county approves the

ZAPATA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Stopping workEmployee pay, insurance concerns board

By JULIE DAFFERNTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See BOARD PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

FRIDAY, MARCH 11Tots on tricycles will cruise the

Laredo Community College South Cam-pus during the Trike-A-Thon from 9:30-11 a.m. today at the Recreation Com-plex. Students from the Camilo PradaChild Development Center are seekingpledges from the community to benefitthe St. Jude Children’s Research Hospi-tal. For more information, call 794-4561.

SATURDAY, MARCH 12Buses headed to an education

support rally from noon to 2 p.m. inAustin will leave from the H-E-B plus!parking lot on McPherson Road andLoop 20 at 7:30 a.m. Anyone whowants a seat on one of the busesshould be at the parking lot by 6:30a.m.

MONDAY, MARCH 14Children and their families are in-

vited to participate in free activitiesthis week at the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road. Today’s activitiesare story and crafts from 10:30-11:30a.m. and arts and crafts from 2:30p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The City of Laredo Health De-partment will have four smoking cessa-tion sessions this month. Meetings arein the department auditorium from 2-3p.m. today, Wednesday, March 21 andMarch 23.

TUESDAY, MARCH 15Children and their families are in-

vited to participate in free activitiesthis week at the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road. Today’s activitiesare story time from 10:30-11:30 a.m.and Creative Kidz from 4 p.m. to 5p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16The City of Laredo Health De-

partment will hold a rabies clinic from7-8 p.m. today at its headquarters,2600 Cedar St. The rabies vaccinecosts $12. Distemper/parvo shots areavailable upon request. For more infor-mation, call the animal control servicesdivision at 795-4902, 712-6011 or 712-6010.

Children and their families are in-vited to participate in free activitiesthis week at the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road. Today’s activitiesare stories and crafts from 10:30-11:30a.m. and Hora del Cuento Spanish Sto-ry Time & Craft from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The City of Laredo Health De-partment will have four smoking cessa-tion sessions this month. Meetings arein the department auditorium from 2-3p.m. today, March 21 and March 23.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17Children and their families are in-

vited to participate in free activitiesthis week at the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road. Today’s activitiesare preschool story time from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and St. Patrick’s Day at thelibrary from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

The Spring Break Kite Festival isfrom 2-7 p.m. today at North CentralPark, 10202 International Blvd. No reg-istration or entrance is requires; justshow up with a kite and start flying.Refreshments and kites will be givenaway while supplies last, or bring apicnic or buy snacks on site. Gamesand activities are free. For more infor-mation, call 791-7461.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18Children and their families are in-

vited to participate in free activitiesthis week at the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road. Today’s activitiesare story time and crafts from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and a movie from 2:30 p.m.to 3:30 p.m.

MONDAY, MARCH 21The City of Laredo Health De-

partment will have four smoking cessa-tion sessions this month. Meetings arein the department auditorium from 2-3p.m. today and Wednesday.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26The South Texas Food Bank is

having its first fishing tournament atFalcon Lake, featuring a $2,000 prizefor the heaviest stringer. Entry to theBass Challenge is $150 per boat. Reg-ister at the Zapata Chamber of Com-merce or by calling Pancho Farias atthe South Texas Food Bank at (956)568-3673.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27Children and adults are sure to

enjoy the annual Easter Fair withgames for the kids and a car show.

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, March12, the 71st day of 2011. Thereare 294 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On March 12, 1933, Presi-dent Franklin D. Roosevelt de-livered the first of his 30 radio“fireside chats,” telling Amer-icans what was being done todeal with the nation’s econom-ic crisis.

On this date: In 1664, England’s King

Charles II granted an area ofland in present-day NorthAmerica known as New Neth-erland to his brother James,the Duke of York.

In 1864, Ulysses S. Grantwas promoted to the rank ofgeneral-in-chief of the Unionarmies in the Civil War byPresident Abraham Lincoln.

In 1912, Juliette GordonLow of Savannah, Ga., found-ed the Girl Guides, which laterbecame the Girl Scouts ofAmerica.

In 1930, Indian political andspiritual leader Mohandas K.Gandhi began a 200-milemarch to protest a British taxon salt.

In 1938, the Anschlussmerging Austria with NaziGermany took place as Ger-man forces crossed the borderbetween the two countries.

In 1939, Pope Pius XII wasformally crowned in ceremo-nies at the Vatican.

In 1947, President Harry S.Truman established what be-came known as the “TrumanDoctrine” to help Greece andTurkey resist Communism.

In 1951, “Dennis the Men-ace,” created by cartoonistHank Ketcham, made its syn-dicated debut in 16 newspa-pers.

In 1968, President LyndonB. Johnson won the NewHampshire Democratic pri-mary, but Sen. Eugene McCar-thy of Minnesota placed astrong second.

In 1971, Hafez Assad wasconfirmed as president of Sy-ria in a referendum.

Ten years ago: A U.S. Na-vy jet mistakenly dropped abomb on a group of militarypersonnel at a bombing rangein Kuwait, killing five Ameri-cans and one New Zealander.Abrasive, chain-smoking talkshow host Morton Downey Jr.died at age 68. Spy adventurenovelist Robert Ludlum diedin Naples, Fla., at age 73.

Today’s Birthdays: Play-wright Edward Albee is 83.Former Atlanta Mayor An-drew Young is 79. Actress Bar-bara Feldon is 78. Singer AlJarreau is 71. Actress-singerLiza Minnelli is 65. FormerMassachusetts Gov. Mitt Rom-ney is 64. Singer-songwriterJames Taylor is 63. Sen. KentConrad, D-N.D., is 63. ActorJon Provost (“Lassie”) is 61.Courtney B. Vance is 51. ActorTitus Welliver is 50. FormerMLB All-Star Darryl Straw-berry is 49. Actress JuliaCampbell is 48. Actor AaronEckhart is 43. ABC News re-porter Jake Tapper is 42. Rockmusician Graham Coxon is 42.Country musician TommyBales (Flynnville Train) is 38.Country singer Holly Williamsis 30. Actor Samm (cq) Levineis 29. Actor Tyler PatrickJones is 17. Actress KendallApplegate (TV: “DesperateHousewives”) is 12.

Thought for Today: “Ifpower corrupts, being out ofpower corrupts absolutely.” —Douglass (cq) Cater, Americanauthor and educator (1923-1995).

TODAY IN HISTORY

HOUSTON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hasbeen told that she was shot. Her ability towalk and talk is improving. And doctors saythere’s a good chance she’ll be able to attendher husband’s space shuttle launch nextmonth.

Doctors provided the new details aboutGiffords’ condition Friday, their first officialupdates she began intensive rehabilitation inHouston on Jan. 26.

Recovery milestones

They described several milestones in herrecovery. The developments include the re-moval of her breathing tube last week andher improving ability to walk with assist-ance and talk in complete sentences such as

“I’m tired. I want to go to bed.”Dr. Imoigele Aisiku, her neurosurgeon,

called the breathing tube removal a “fist-pump” moment.

“I’m very happy to report that she’s mak-ing leaps and bounds in terms of neurolog-ical recovery,” added, Dr. Dong Kim, a neu-roscientist. “She’s doing spectacularly well.”

Giffords’ memory

Her memory is also improving, and doc-tors believe she will not have lasting mem-ory loss in the future.

But she does not recall the tragic event inTucson that wounded her and 12 others andkilled six people.

“She has been told both by her husbandand by us, and I think she understands,”Kim said.

AROUND TEXAS

Dr. Gerard Francisco, left, listens as Dr. Dong Kim, right, speaks while giving a medical update on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Gif-fords, D-Ariz., during a news conference on Friday, in Houston. Doctors say Giffords has been told by her husband that shewas shot, but has no memory of the episode.

Photo by David J. Phillip | AP

Giffords learns truthBy RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Masked men orderfarmworkers to leave

LA JOYA — As Texas farm-hands prepared this winter toburn stalks of sugarcane for har-vest along the Rio Grande, fourmasked men on ATVs suddenlysurrounded the crew membersand ordered them to leave. Texasfarmers and ranchers say con-frontations like these are quietlyadding up. This month the TexasDepartment of Agriculturelaunched a website publicizingwhat it calls a worsening situa-tion “threatening the lives of ourfellow citizens and jeopardizingour nation’s food supply.”

Cell phone video leads toarrests of 18

CLEVELAND — A cell phonevideo circulated among studentsin a Texas town has led to the ar-rests of 18 people, including highschool athletes and adults, ac-cused of sexually assaulting an11-year-old girl last year. The in-vestigation began Dec. 1 after a

friend of the girl told a teacherhe had seen the video of one ofthe alleged attacks, a school offi-cial said.

Budget crisis leads tofewer bill filings in Texas

AUSTIN — The state’s budgetcrisis has another side effect forthe Texas Legislature: fewer billfilings.

Friday’s filing deadline is like-ly to pass with a substantiallylower number of bills comparedto 2009. Officials say it’s becausestate lawmakers are focused on abudget shortfall that could reach$27 billion.

Slightly more than 5,000 billshad been filed by midday Friday,the end of a 60-day filing period.Last session, more than 7,400bills were on the books. Morewere expected to show up beforethe 6 p.m. deadline.

Not only are lawmakersspending a lot of time talkingabout balancing the budget, butofficials say their legislative pri-orities are scaled back becausethey know the state doesn’t have

much money to spare.

American Airlines givesup on latest fare hike

DALLAS — Finally, score onefor cheaper airfares.

American Airlines is givingup on its attempt to boost prices$10 on round-trips within theU.S. after other airlines declinedto match the increase. Americanincreased fares Wednesday night.

Airlines have raised pricesseveral times this year, citing theneed to cover the rising price offuel, which can account for morethan one-third of their spending.

American spokesman TimSmith confirmed on Friday thatAmerican had rolled back thelatest increase of $10 on flightswithin the lower 48 states andabout $20 on round trips to Ha-waii and Canada.

Airlines usually try to matchthe prices charged by rivals onmost routes, so American waspressured to retreat when otherairlines declined to increasetheir fares.

— Compiled from AP reports

Calif., Ore. sustainedmost tsunami damageCRESCENT CITY, Calif. (AP)

— The warnings traveled quick-ly across the Pacific in the mid-dle of the night: An 8.9-magni-tude earthquake in Japanspawned a deadly tsunami, andit was racing east Friday as fastas a jetliner.

In the end, the damage wasmainly to harbors and marinasin California and Oregon. Boatscrashed into each other, somevessels were pulled out to seaand docks were ripped out. Res-cue crews searched for a manwho was swept out to sea whiletaking pictures.

Minn. man, 85, diesrecycling cans

ST. PAUL, Minn. — An 85-year-old man is dead after hewas struck by a skid loaderwhile he recycled cans at a St.Paul metal recycling company.

Police say Jack Patrick McCoyof Hastings was unloading cansfrom the rear of his pickupThursday when an employeedriving the skid loader acciden-tally backed into him.

Police say neither drugs noralcohol are believed to be a fac-

tor in the accident. Police did notarrest or cite the driver.

One of McCoy’s sons, KentMcCoy, tells the St. Paul PioneerPress that his father spent partof his retirement collecting andrecycling cans “as a hobby.”

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

A Santa Cruz Harbor Patrol boat attempts to tow a partially sunken boat in theSanta Cruz Harbor on Friday, in Santa Cruz, Calif. A tsunami triggered by themassive earthquake in Japan rushed onto California’s coast Friday.

Photo by Dan Coyro/Santa Cruz Sentinel | AP

Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226Chief Accountant, Thelma Aguero .............. 728-2553General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510Retail Adv. Manager, Raul Cruz................... 728-2511Classified Manager, Jesse Vicharreli ........... 728-2525Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505Editor, Diana Fuentes ................................ 728-2581City Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez .................. 728-2543Sports Editor, Dennis Silva II......................728-2579Business Journal Editor, Sean Bowlin.......... 728-2529Entertainment Editor, Emilio Rábago III ....... 728-2564Online Editor, Julie Daffern ....................... 728-2565

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

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. Phone (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Ave-nue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mailthezapatatimes.net

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SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 Zlocal PAGE 3A

ASSAULTJose Luis Rodriguez was arrested and charged

with assault at about 7:30 p.m. March 5 in the 5400block of Gary Lane. An incident report alleges that Ro-driguez head-butted a woman he knows. He was takento Zapata Regional Jail.

Deputies responded to a fight in progress at7:16 a.m. March 6 in the 300 block of Penguin Street.An assault causing family violence report was filed.

Deputies responded to a fight in progress at4:33 p.m. March 7 in the 1000 block of Falcon Ave-nue. Officials arrested Zaira Villarreal and charged herwith assault. She was taken to Zapata County Jail.

A domestic incident was reported at 11:12 p.m.March 7 in the 900 block of Falcon Avenue. Deputiesarrested Jose Guadalupe Guzman Jr. and charged himwith assault causing family violence. He was taken toZapata Regional Jail.

BURGLARYDeputies responded to a burglary call at 10:22

p.m. March 5 in the 1000 block of Falcon Avenue. Awoman told deputies that someone burglarized thepremises.

POSSESSIONJose Felix Obregon III was arrested after a traffic

stop at about 2:30 a.m. March 6 near the corner ofEighth State and Texas 16. He was charged with pos-session of drug paraphernalia and taken to Zapata Re-gional Jail.

Deputies responded to an accident call at 10:13p.m. March 6 at the corner of U.S. 83 and Ninth Ave-nue. Raul Rene Villarreal was arrested and chargedwith possession of marijuana after the man ran off theroad and struck several park benches, according todeputies. Villarreal was taken to Zapata Regional Jail.

PUBLIC INTOXICATIONJuan Carlos Gonzalez was arrested and charged

with public intoxication at about 12:30 a.m. March 5in the 1200 block of Medina Avenue. The man wastaken to Zapata Regional Jail.

Deputies responded to a call reporting an un-conscious driver at 7:02 a.m. March 5 outside a motelin the 2100 block of U.S. 83. Erika Elizabeth Charowas arrested and charged with public intoxication. Shewas taken to Zapata County Jail.

THEFTDeputies responded to a report of stolen trash

cans at 9:45 a.m. March 5 in the 1800 block of BravoAvenue in the Medina Addition. An incident reportstates several people entered through the front yard ofthe property and stole two green trash cans.

THE BLOTTER

Families are invited to swing by RomeoFlores Park on Sunday, March 27, for somepre-Easter gaiety at the Easter Bash Fun Fest,where kids can romp searching for Eastereggs and parents can enjoy various car clubexhibitions and musical performances.

The event begins at noon and lasts until 6p.m.

“There’s going to be a massive Easter egghunt for the kids,” said event organizer, Da-niel “Loke G” Olavarrieta. “What I’m askingthe car clubs to bring is one Easter basket pervehicle, and those will be given out to thekids.”

As children enter the park, they’ll be givenraffle tickets with numbers on them, whichwill later determine their prizes. Other attrac-tions for children include several moonbounc-es and the star of the show, the Easter bunny,who will be taking photos with the kids.

Thus far, three Laredo car clubs—LegacyCar Club, Ridiculous Car Club and NotoriousRides—have registered.

“In Zapata, we’ve already registered threeclubs as well, Nuestro Orgullo, SouthernStyles and Platinum Audio,” Olaviarrieta said.

The deadline for car clubs to register isMarch 26, the day before the fun fest. Themyriad vehicles, which can be either cars ortrucks, will be competing for Best Lowrider,Best Paint Job, Best Sound System, Best Bigrims and, naturally, Best Overall Car. Judgingwill take place at 5:45 p.m. The winner of thislast honor will be awarded a lowrider motor-cycle, but there will be a variety of gift certif-icates for those who win in other categories

In addition, the event will host 17 differentmusical artists, including Knights of theBrown Table, Olavarrieta’s own group, whichis part of Pro Records in San Ignacio. He hasbeen with them for the past 12 years.

“For all my artists, the deadline was March1, (but I) still have two spots open,” he said.The event is an excellent opportunity for localartists and rappers get into the entertain-ments business.

“In Zapata, this is the fourth charity eventwe’ve done.”

Car clubs must arrive at the park by 10 a.m.to help set up for the event. Concessions willbe available, but those interested in setting upbooths must contact Olaviarrieta at 210-429-2628.

Pre-Easterbash planned

for parkSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

HONORING THE COUNSELOR

Courtesy photo

Claudia Garza, left, is school counselor at the Fidel and Annabel R. Villarreal Elementary School inZapata. Colleagues as well as parents praise her dedication to the school’s students as a counselorand as a teacher of character education. She is shown here with three of her four daughters: Clau-dia, Helena Alexa and Selene. Not pictured is Andrea. Garza was honored with a luncheon duringNational School Counselors Week.

Fishermen now have a chance to “fishfor hunger” during the first annual BassInternational Challenge at Falcon Lake.

The one-day tournament is scheduledfor March 26. Registration is $150 perteam. Payment is due by 10 p.m. March25. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar,along with the Zapata County Chamberof Commerce, is sponsoring the event.

All money raised benefits the SouthTexas Food Bank.

“Every dollar is equivalent to sevenmeals,” said Pete Arredondo, assistantchief at the Webb County Sheriff ’s Office.

$2,000 in cash prizes are up for grabsfor competitors. However, organizers be-lieve competitors will fish to feed the hun-gry, instead of aiming for the prize.

“Our mission is to fight hunger and Ihope the fishermen are going to join usin this event,” said Pancho Farias, STFBrepresentative.

Farias and Arredondo expect a largeturnout from fishermen living in theSouth Texas and the northern Mexico ar-eas.

“It’s a one-day fishing tournament. You

can come and enjoy your favorite hobbyand maybe make a little bit of money atthe same time,” Arredondo added.

As of Friday evening, 30 fishermen hadregistered.

“So far it’s looking pretty good. We’reshooting for 100 people,” Arredondo said.

The event is also being used to pro-mote tourism.

“It’s a good time we go to Falcon Lakeand give the good publicity it deserves,”Farias said. “We’re fighting hunger andgiving the lake the publicity it deserves.”

This bass challenge comes along withthe early announcement from World Fish-ing Network to find the Ultimate FishingTown USA. Jose F. “Paco” Mendoza Jr.,chamber president and chief executive of-ficer, believes Falcon Lake has what ittakes to be nominated the ultimate fish-ing town.

As far as security, Arredondo said or-ganizers encourage participants to fishon the U.S. side of the lake. March 25 isthe last day to register. For more informa-tion on rules and regulations or on theevent itself, contact Farias at 645-0840 orArredondo at 489-2421.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

Fishing tourney hopes to catchlots of money for food bank

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

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

For thousands of Tex-ans, eating dinnertonight is not a fore-

gone conclusion.Texas has the fourth

highest hunger rateamong the elderly. As Tex-ans fight tooth and nailfor their legislative prior-ities this session, many ofthe most vulnerableamong us are losing amuch more difficult battle– the fight against hunger.

During the month ofMarch – National Nutri-tion Month – it is impor-tant to remember thenearly one in five Texansat risk of going hungry.And the problem goeswell beyond our borders.Of the 51 million Ameri-cans who struggle withhunger every day, morethan 6 million are overthe age of 60. This is aproblem we can solve.

AARP is leading theDrive to End Hunger pro-gram to help alleviatehunger problems amongsenior citizens. The cam-paign includes volunteer-led food drives, individualand corporate fundingcampaigns, and localSNAP (“food stamp”) en-rollment assistance. Wehope to make a real differ-ence for those most sus-ceptible to hunger.

NASCAR Sprint CupChampion Jeff Gordonand team owner RickHendrick are among thosepartnering with AARP.Through its Foundation,AARP has organized do-nations that will providemore than 146,000 mealsfor hungry seniors duringthe opening weeks of the2011 NASCAR season. As

the program grows in sizeand visibility, the likeli-hood of shrinking hungerrisk will also grow withit.

As Texans watch theLegislature decide the di-rection of our state, it isimportant to rememberthat the priorities andchanges occur outside ofthe capitol as much aswithin it. The fightagainst hunger does notoccur within party linesor in legislative commit-tees. It is something thateveryone can be a part of,no matter your age or po-litical beliefs.

Donations to the Driveto End Hunger programbenefit the hunger pro-grams of the AARP Foun-dation. AARP is makingfighting hunger a top pri-ority, but we need the helpof all Texans to make it tothe finish line.

Across the state of Tex-as, food banks provideemergency aid for nearly3 million people each year.Meals on Wheels pro-grams give older and dis-abled Texans the opportu-nity to stay in theirhomes without the fear ofhunger. Any gift or volun-teer time to these organi-zations goes a long way instopping hunger.

As long as Texans go tobed hungry, the fight willmarch on. The AARP, foodbanks and hunger pro-grams across the statewill be available to makesure that the hunger issuenever takes a backseat.

This National NutritionMonth, take time to thinkof our most vulnerableneighbors who struggle tofind their next meals. Tex-as seniors are one of thegroups across the countrymost susceptible to hun-ger risk. It’s time to reachout a helping hand to thehungry.

To learn more and findout how you can help, vis-it: www.drivetoendhunge-r.org.

(Ollie Besteiro is presi-dent of AARP Texas)

COLUMN

Fight againsthunger isimportant

Editor’s Note: In Zapata,those who want to help endhunger also can make a do-nation or volunteer theirtime to the South TexasFood Bank by calling (956)726-3120 or visitingwww.southtexasfoodban-k.org.

By OLLIE BESTEIROSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

OTHER VIEWS

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

WASHINGTON —When I watched,as you did, the

sickening pictures of thebeating of Rodney King andthe burning of Los Angeles,my mind went back to theseemingly different world ofMarburg 2 — the corridorat Johns Hopkins Hospitalwhere I spent some timelast month.

My first roommate — theday and night after surgery— was a young black man,angry, hostile, cursing thenurses who remonstratedwith him about his noisyoutbursts. I know nothing ofhis background — he wason Marburg 2 for only onenight because of a shortageof beds. But he seemed theepitome of the young menwho have grown up in fa-therless homes, devoid ofhope, totally centered onthemselves and the mo-ment, heedless of the conse-quences of the drugs theyuse and sell, the guns theyare quick to fire — terroriz-ing their neighbors as theyact out the frustrations oftheir unchanneled, undisci-plined lives.

Same challengeWhen I saw the looting

and burning in Los An-geles, I saw his face.

But Marburg 2 was farmore than that. It was an

artificially created society ofsome two dozen men, blackand white, almost all ofwhom had been thrown to-gether by the common expe-rience of prostate surgery. Itwas a perfect democracy ofequals, all striving for thesingle goal of recovery. Ourrole and status outside thehospital were irrelevant;and so, amazingly, was ourrace. Seniority prevailed.Those who were five dayspast surgery were envied fortheir returning strength bythose just two days on theirfeet. The elders offered en-couragement, assuring thejuniors that in a few days,they’d feel just as well.

No colorsAs we walked the corri-

dors, in our white socks,blue bathrobes and slippers,pushing our IV stands be-fore us, camaraderie devel-oped. I realized it was thefirst time I’d had that feelingsince Army infantry basicat Fort Jackson, S.C., duringthe Korean War, more than40 years ago. There, too, wewere thrown together bychance, black and white, inthe 3rd Platoon, Company I,8th Infantry. Our goal then,too, was simple survival, be-cause it was clear that Sgt.Smith was going to kill us ifwe didn’t shape up.

At no time between FortJackson and Marburg 2, Irealized, could I recall a sit-uation where I was notacutely conscious of therace of the person I wasdealing with, whether it wasGeorge Wallace or HaroldWashington. One evening inthe hospital, I told a new pa-tient, facing surgery in the

morning, “You must be anactor, a preacher or a teach-er; you have one of the mostbeautiful faces I have everseen.” As it turned out, hewas a retired school admin-istrator from WestchesterCounty, N.Y., and over thenext week, we becamefriends.

But I realized with aston-ishment that it had been 40years since I had expresseda feeling so spontaneouslyto a black person — so per-vasive and encompassingand overwhelming is therace-consciousness of oursociety. Los Angeles and Si-mi Valley demonstratedhow adept we have become,we whites, in shutting outour recognition of the essen-tial humanity of all peoples,in consigning those of otherraces to their own worldsand living within our own.

There was another lessonon Marburg 2. Severalmornings I awoke, uncom-fortable, before dawn, andstood at the window watch-ing the stream of headlightson the shuttle buses andcars bringing the day-shiftworkers to Hopkins. Thework force, as in many hos-pitals, is largely black. Andas I watched them headingfor their jobs at 6 a.m., mymind inevitably turned tothat ode to the working poorwhich Jesse Jackson deliv-ered so often in his 1988campaign:

People do work“Most poor folks are not

on welfare,” he would say.“They work every day. Theycatch the early bus. Theywork every day. … Theyclean the streets. They cutthe grass. They rake theleaves. They work hard ev-ery day. They raise otherpeople’s children. Theywork in hospitals. They mopthe floors, and clean up thegerms. They wipe the bod-

ies of those who are sickwith fever, rub their bodiesdown and when they getsick, they clean out theircommodes. They work ev-ery day.”

I would turn from thewindow and switch on Na-tional Public Radio’s “Morn-ing Edition,” where the fa-vorite topic seemed to be the“character question” of thepresidential candidates.

No time leftAnd I thought: These peo-

ple I’ve been watching frommy window prove theircharacter every day, just bygetting out of bed and driv-ing through the dark to dothe jobs for which this socie-ty offers damn little in re-turn. Their character is evi-dent in their daily labors.

You’ll hear no prattlefrom them about maintain-ing “a zone of privacy” forthemselves, as you heardfrom Bill Clinton, and stillless will you find themducking the jobs that needto be done, as George Bushtends to do.

What has Bush done inthis nation in three years aspresident that shows charac-ter? Sign on to a modest def-icit-reduction deal and thendenounce it? Ease regula-tions on business? Stigma-tize and fight a modest civilrights bill before signing it?

There is no more impor-tant test of character for anAmerican president thanwhat he does to heal thescars that slavery and rac-ism have left on this society.That is the curse that is kill-ing us, and everything elseis secondary. The last presi-dent who acted on that con-viction was Lyndon John-son, who left office almost aquarter-century ago, whenLos Angeles was last inflames. We cannot wait an-other 25 years for such apresident. We just can’t.

COLUMN

Race matters little with cancer

“DAVID BRODER

Editor’s note: David S.Broder, the dean of politicalreporters, died Wednesday at81 of complications from dia-betes. Broder was a column-ist for the Washington Post.Of the many hundreds ofBroder’s columns that couldbe cited in tribute, this onefrom May 1992 stands out be-cause it shows his fundamen-tal honesty as he confrontshis own — and the country’s— failings when it comes tohealing the scars of slaveryand racism.

WASHINGTON — Ifnot for bad luck, VivianSchiller wouldn’t haveany luck at all.

Until this past week,Schiller was the chief ex-ecutive of National Pub-lic Radio. That was be-fore Ron Schiller, the out-going fundraisingdirector for NPR (and norelation), was caught onvideo telling two conser-vative activists posing asrepresentatives of a fakeMuslim charity that thetea party is “seriouslyracist” and that conser-vatives are “anti-intellec-tual.” Um, not good.

Even worse for Schill-er — Vivian, that is — itwasn’t the first public re-lations hit for NPR dur-ing her two-year tenure.

That came last Octoberwhen Ellen Weiss, the topnews editor, fired politi-cal analyst Juan Wil-liams after he said thatflying with peopledressed in “Muslimgarb” made him “nerv-ous.”

Weiss eventually re-signed in January after

an internal review of hertermination of Williams,and the NPR board of di-rectors stripped Schillerof her bonus.

Hoping to begin theimage-rehabilitation pro-cess — not to mentionanswer the Republicancritics aiming to zero outthe $430 million in feder-al funds for the Corpora-tion for Public Broadcast-ing — Schiller delivereda keynote address at theNational Press Club onMonday.

“At a time when ourindustry is cutting back,when punditry is drown-ing real news andthoughtful analysis, NPRis moving continuouslyforward with quality re-porting and storytelling,”Schiller declared.

Less than 48 hours lat-er, she was gone, resign-ing before she was fireddespite the fact that, byall accounts, she helpedexpand NPR’s online andoffline business duringher time in the top job.

Vivian Schiller, for allthe things you didn’t con-sider, you had the WorstWeek in Washington.Congrats, or something.

COLUMN

Worst Week?NPR’s Schiller

By CHRIS CILLIZZATHE WASHINGTON POST

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

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

number IS NOT publish-ed; it is used solely to ver-ify identity and to clarifycontent, if necessary. Iden-tity of the letter writermust be verified beforepublication.

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

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

The South Texas As-sociation of Soil and Wa-ter Conservation Dis-tricts will have its semi-annual meeting Wendes-day at the Rob andBessie Welder Park nearSinton.

Registration will be-gin at 9:30 a.m. in theWelder Park’s Lazy VBuilding.

“Following registra-tion, soil and water con-servation district direc-tors representing 22 dis-tricts will tour thePapalote Creek WindFarm located near Taft,”said Romualdo Herrera,president of the SouthTexas group.

The Papalote Creekwind farm is located 30miles north of CorpusChristi in San PatricioCounty. Owned and op-erated by E.ON Climate& Renewables, the windfarm is the company’sfirst south Texas pro-ject. EC&R is responsib-le for the E.ON group’srenewable energy andenvironmental protec-tion activities aroundthe world. EC&R will beinvesting $5.45 billionworldwide in renewableenergy and environmen-

tal protection projectsthrough 2013.

“The Papalote Creek pro-ject provides enough cleanwind power to supply about54,000 homes while avoidingmore than 324,0000 tons ofcarbon dioxide emissionsand saving a quarter of abillion gallons of fresh wa-ter annually, compared witha conventional steam-dri-ven fossil fuel plant,” saidSpivey J. Paup, EC&R’s as-sistsant development man-ager.

“The wind farm consistsof 109 turbines that provide179.85 megawatts of power,”Paup added.

Paup will give a present-ation about the wind farmto the conservation districtdirectors touring the facili-ty.

Following the tour, thedirectors will hear updateson national and state soiland water conservation is-sues from José Dodier,chairman of the Texas StateSoil and Water Conserva-tion Board; B.P. Bono, direc-tor of the Association of

Texas Soil and Water Con-servation Districts; Assist-ant State ConservationistTomas Dominguez of theUSDA Natural ResourceConservation Service, andJohn Lloyd-Reilly, manag-er of the Kika de la GarzaPlant Materials Centernear Kingsville, accordingto Herrera.

SWCDS serves thecounties of Webb, Zapata,Starr, Jim Hogg, Zavala,Frio, Atascosa, Dimmit,La Salle, McMullen, LiveOak, Bee, Refugio, San Pa-tricio, Nueces, Jim Wells,Duval, Brooks, Kleberg,Kenedy, Willacy, Cameronand Hidalgo.

Soil districts to meet at Sinton parkSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Zapata residents and vis-itors have a new place todine and enjoy an eveningout on the lake.

The Aqua Restaurant andBar, which opened March 4on 178 U.S. 83, has a breath-taking view of Falcon Lake.

Unlike any other eateryin Zapata, the Aqua has aunique and varied menuwith special drinks. The baris open until 2 a.m.

Try Certified AngusSteak at the Aqua, the onlyrestaurant that serves thehigh-quality meat in ZapataCounty. The Aqua also hasthe best salads in town; getit fresh from their salad bar.The menu also has some

wonderful seafood available.Some guests at the new

restaurant already are say-ing Aqua has some of thebest burgers and steaks intown.

Lake View Inn and Suitesalso is under renovation.The hotel sits directly infront of the restaurant, and

will have more than 60rooms when finally complet-ed. The hotel and restauranthas its own boat ramp forits guests. Jet-Ski and boatrentals will be coming soon,offering yet more enjoyableentertainment options forZapata residents and vis-itors alike.

A viewof thelake atthe inn

New eatery offersunique menu

THE ZAPATA TIMES

The Aqua Restaurant and Bar, located at the Lakeview Inn andSuites, offers breathtaking views of Falcon Lake.

Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

around his station in thehall, displaying hats in pinkand lavender hats for younggirls, rhinestone-trimmedhats for women, traditionaltan hats for the whole fam-ily and even some with Bra-zilian bull-hide brims.

If none of these fit pre-cisely what fair-goers arelooking for, Charlie the Hat-man has a steamer and allhis materials on hand tomake a hat on the spot.Furthermore, he will re-condition and re-shape yourfavorite hat that has per-haps seen better days.

This is only a fraction ofwhat the Zapata CountyFair, now in its 39th year,has to offer.

Today, the last and big-gest day of the fair, startsoff with the annual ZapataCounty Fair parade at 10a.m. Floats, trucks andplenty of lively dancers andmusicians will fill thestreets, wending their waythrough the city to the fair-grounds as countless resi-dents and fans look on indelight.

At the fairgrounds, resi-dents and visitors can visitwith Charlie the Hatman orone of dozens of other art-ists and exhibitors. Intrigu-ing booths display toys,purses, clothes and a bevy

of crafts that include cross-es and jewelry for sale.

Right next to the ExhibitHall is the carnival with itsthrill rides, vibrant musicand all kinds of food standsoffering such classic localcarnival fare as funnelcakes, corn dogs and fajitatacos — enticing visitors asthey stroll through. Carni-val enthusiasts can gettheir fills of thrills with thepurchase of an all-day passfor $22.

According to the ZapataCounty Fair website, otherentertainment at the mainevent will include a ropingcompetition, a buyers’ so-cial, a livestock auction andvarious dance performanc-es. For music lovers, theperformances that beganThursday will continue onSaturday into the night.

“It is my understandingthat … Selena came,” saidZapata County Fair Presi-dent Lupe Canales, refer-ring to the late Tejano star,as he talked about the ma-jor stars expected for thisyear’s fair.

A major attraction inpast years, La Mafia return-ed to the county fairgrounds Friday, closing theshow after K-Libre, Nexxo,La Costumbre and Home-town Boys performed.Thursday’s winning bandfrom the fair contest willopen the show Saturday,which features Grupo Reto-nio, Zamorales, David LeeGarza y Los Musicales andthe legendary Ramon Aya-la.

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

FAIR Continued from Page 1A

Visitors to the Zapata County Fair have a variety of things to eatand enjoy.

Photos by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

SÁBADO 12 DE MARZOZAPATA — Feria del

Condado de Zapata. El desfi-le inicia a las 10 a.m. Por latarde la subasta de ganadoes a las 4 p.m.; y la músicainicia con la presentación delganador de la batalla de lasbandas a las 5 p.m.; GrupoRetonio a las 6 p.m. y LosZamorales a las 8 p.m; Da-vid Lee Garza y Los Musica-les a las 10 p.m.; y RamónAyala a las 11:30 p.m.

LAREDO — LaredoCrime Stoppers (Alto al Cri-men) invita a la Batalla delas Placas (Battle of theBadges) a las 9 a.m. en La-redo Energy Arena, en me-moria del Agente del ICEJaime J. Zapata. Habrá unconcurso de costillitas, concosto de 60 dólares porequipo.

LAREDO — El equipode softból de TAMIU recibea Oklahoma Panhandle StateUniversity a las 11 a.m. y 1p.m. Entrada general es de 5dólares.

LAREDO — El equipode béisbol Palominos de LCCrecibe a Blinn College a las12 p.m. en el diamante delcolegio.

LAREDO — Hoy es elDía de Películas para la Fa-milia en el Planetario LamarBruni Vergara de TAMIU. Seproyectará Finding Nemo deDiney’s Pixar a las 12 p.m.,2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. y 8p.m. La entrada es de 3 dó-lares, por presentación.

LAREDO — Juego deHockey, los Laredo Bucks re-ciben a Arizona Sundogs alas 7:30 p.m. en LaredoEnergy Arena, durante la No-che de Laredo Crime Stop-pers (Alto al Crimen).

DOMINGO 13 DE MARZOLAREDO — Hoy es el

Recital en Beneficio de laOrquesta Filarmónica de La-redo en el Center for the Fi-ne and Performing Arts’ Re-cital Hall de TAMIU a las 3p.m.

LAREDO — El equipode béisbol Palominos recibea Blinn College a las 11 p.m.

NUEVO LAREDO: Hoyse presentan las dos obrasde teatro Lilith Vs Eva / As-modeo Vs Adán a partir delas 7 p.m. en el Teatro LucioBlanco de la Casa de la Cul-tura. Entrada gratuita.

MARTES 15 DE MARZOLAREDO — Pase la

tarde en el Planetario LamarBruni Vergara y explore “TheFuture is Wild” a las 3 p.m.y “Violent Universe: Catas-trophes of the Cosmos” alas 4 p.m. Entrada generales de 5 dólares.

MIÉRCOLES 16 DE MARZOLAREDO — Pase la

tarde en el Planetario LamarBruni Vergara y explore “OneWorld, One Sky: Big Bird’sAdventure” a las 3 p.m. y“Star Signs” a las 4 p.m.Entrada general es de 5 dó-lares.

JUEVES 17 DE MARZOLAREDO — El tercer

festival anual del Papalotepor el Descanso de Primave-ra será hoy de 2 p.m. a 7p.m. en North Central Park,10202 International Boule-vard. Habrá otros juegos yactividades. Todo será gra-tuito.

NUEVO LAREDO: Epi-dauro Teatro presenta hoy laobra “Papá Querido” en elTeatro Lucio Blanco de laCasa de la Cultura, a las 8p.m.

VIERNES 18 DE MARZOLAREDO — El equipo

de béisbol de TAMIU recibea St. Edward’s University alas 12 p.m. y 3 p.m. Entradageneral es de 5 dólares.

LAREDO — Hoy sepresenta Monster Jam enLaredo Energy Arena a las7:30 p.m.

— Tiempo de Zapata

Agendaen Breve

Zfrontera PÁGINA 7ASÁBADO 12 DE MARZO DE 2011

CIUDAD MIER, México— Conocido durante añoscomo Telégrafos de Méxi-co, ahora Telecomm reab-rió sus puertas al serviciode la comunidad el 9 demarzo.

El Presidente MunicipalAlberto González Peña, envisita de cortesía, tuvo asu cargo el corte de listónde las nuevas oficinas quereanudaron sus activ-idades normales.

“El servicio de telégra-fos estuvo nuevo un largoperiodo de tiempo por ra-

zones ya conocidas en lacomunidad”, dijo Gonzá-lez. “Fue aproximada-mente un año”.

El titular de Telecomm,Alberto Molina, destacó elapoyo recibido de la actualadministración para vol-ver a tener oficinas fun-cionales.

“Contamos con un localque nos permite realizarnuestras labores cotidia-nas una vez más”, sostuvoMolina.

Junto con González a laceremonia asistieron elSíndico Rafael Mendoza yel secretario particularDiego Sánchez.

TELECOMM

Vuelve servicio a MierPOR ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ

ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATAEl presidentemunicipal deCiudad Mier,Alberto Gon-zález lleva acabo laapertura ofi-cial de lasnuevas y re-modeladasoficinas deTelecomm,servicio na-cional detelegramas,el 9 de mar-zo.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Ciudad Mier

GOBERNADOR RECIBE A TOROS

Los campeones de la Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, Toros de Nuevo Laredo fueron recibidos por el Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú en Ciudad Victo-ria, el 8 de marzo. Los jugadores asistieron acompañados del Presidente Municipal de Nuevo Laredo Benjamín Galván Gómez.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Nuevo Laredo

La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, en ladenominada estrategia contra del narcotráficoy la delincuencia organizada, dio a conocerresultados de enfrentamientos y operativos:

San FernandoUn civil armado resulto muerto tras que

personal militar fuera agredido con disparosde arma. El reporte indica que fueron aseg-urados cuatro vehículos de los cuales unocuenta con blindaje artesanal, un lanza co-hetes, un cohete, ocho armas largas, un armacorta y tres granadas.

Villa GonzálezEl 9 de marzo, al realizar un recorrido por

el Kilómetro 64 de la carretera Tampico-Ciu-dad Victoria, civiles armados dispararon con-tra soldados del Ejército Mexicano. El saldofue de cuatro personas muertas, y el asegura-miento de ocho vehículos, de los cuales doseran blindados, 20 armas largas, tres armascortas, un lanza cohetes, 10 granadas y diver-sos artículos. Igualmente una persona fue ar-restada.

ReynosaEl 9 de marzo en la calle Sierra Gorda, de

la Colonia Granjas Económicas, soldados fue-ron agredidos por un grupo de personas queviajaban en un vehículo color negro.

“Los agresores se dieron a la fuga al mis-mo tiempo que continuaron disparando sinimportar la presencia de los ciudadanos y eltránsito de vehículos en la calle”, indica el co-municado de SeDeNa.

Seis civiles resultaron lesionados y fueronatendidos en el hospital.

No se realizaron arrestos en este incidente.

SEGURIDAD

Sedenainformasaldo de

operativosTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

TEXAS — El Departamentode Agricultura de Texas lanzóel sitio ProtectYourTexasBor-der.com ante las demandas delos ciudadanos para que hayauna mayor respuesta federalcontra los carteles de las dro-gas.

Los presuntos traficantes dedrogas han obligado a algunasfamilias que viven en la fronte-ra a salir de sus casas y ponenen peligro a la agricultura esta-tal.

Sin embargo, el sitio, pre-sentado la semana pasada, sellenó rápidamente de comenta-rios contra inmigrantes y quemotivaban a los residentes a to-mar acción por ellos mismos.En algunos casos se les sugeríaque colocaran minas terrestres,en otros que recurrieran a tác-

ticas de uso de armas de fuegocontra los indocumentados.

Los comentarios que impul-san el vigilantismo publicadosen el sitio que destaca la segu-ridad fronteriza en Texas nodeberían restarle importancia ala demanda de más recursospor parte del gobierno federal,declaró el jueves el comisiona-do de Agricultura Todd Staples.

El sitio en línea fue creadopara que los granjeros y agri-cultores de la frontera de Texaspuedan documentar infiltra-ciones de presuntos traficantesde drogas mexicanos, declaróStaples durante una conferen-cia de prensa en el Capitolio es-tatal.

El funcionario agregó que elsitio debería ser utilizado paraconvencer al gobierno federalde aumentar los agentes y re-cursos en la zona.

“Los crímenes por drogasaterrorizan a nuestros agricul-tores y granjeros”, dijo Staples,quien agregó que “esta es unacrisis que demanda una res-puesta del gobierno federal mu-cho más amplia.”

El senador José Rodríguez,demócrata de El Paso, envióuna carta a Staples el miércolessolicitándole quitar la páginaonline.

“Permitir la distribución demensajes violentos es simple-mente inaceptable y realmenteno acaba con los temas asocia-dos con la seguridad fronteri-za”, escribió el congresista enla carta.

Por su parte Staples condenólos comentarios colocados eninternet, los cuales ya fueronretirados, pero opinó que lagente no puede dejar de ver elproblema en conjunto.

TEXAS

Página de Internet creacontroversia entre oficiales

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TORNEO DE FÚTBOL

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Ciudad Mier

El Parque Nuevo Amanecer de Ciudad Mier fue el escenario para que estudiantes participaran en un torneo de Fút-bol Soccer Infantil en el marco del 258 Aniversario del Pueblo Mágico. El Presidente Municipal Alberto González Pe-ña, también jugó un rato con los alumnos. Campeón del torneo quedó la Primaria Francisco Ramírez Canales.

Notice of Public Meetings

The RGRWPG has been established under the provisions of Texas Senate Bill 1 to devel-

op a regional water plan for the RGRWPG area (TWDB Region M), which includes the fol-

lowing counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Maverick, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata.

Notice is hereby given that the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning Group (RGRWPG)

(Region M) has scheduled two Public Meetings to seek input from the Public on the scope

of planning activities to be considered during the Fourth Cycle of Regional Water Planning.

The Public Meetings have been scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Thursday, May 12, 2011Zapata County Courthouse (2nd floor) LRGVDC Transportation Center200 7th Avenue 510 S. Pleasantview DriveZapata, Texas Weslaco, Texas10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Written and oral comments will be accepted at these meetings (oral comments not to

exceed 5 minutes per speaker). Written comments must be submitted to the LRGVDC or

TWDB by Friday, May 13, 2011.

Mr. Kevin Ward, Executive Mr. Kenneth N. Jones, Jr., Administrator Executive DirectorTexas Water Development Board Lower Rio Grande Valley1700 N. Congress Development CouncilAustin, Texas 78711-3231 311 N. 15th Street

McAllen, Texas 78501

For further questions or additional information please contact, Kenneth N. Jones, Jr., in

McAllen, Texas at the LRGVDC office (956) 682-3481, fax (956) 631-4670.

Notice of Application for Grant Assistancefrom Texas Water Development Board

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council (LRGVDC) as the designat-

ed political subdivision approved by the Rio Grande Regional Water Planning

Group (RGRWPG) is providing notice that it will submit an application for funding

for development of the Regional Water Plan to the Texas Water Development

Board (TWDB) for activities and tasks for the fourth cycle of Regional Water

Planning (2011-2015). The RGRWPG has been established under the provisions

of Texas Senate Bill 1 to develop a regional water plan for the RGRWPG area

(TWDB Region M), which includes the following counties: Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim

Hogg, Maverick, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata. The regional water plan for

this area will identify specific strategies to meet the water demands of all cate-

gories of water use for the next 50 years.

The RGRWPG has designated the LRGVDC to submit an application to the

Texas Water Development Board for state financial assistance for funding for

preparation of the 2011-2015 planning cycle. The application deadline is April

8th, 2011. Copies of the application may be obtained from the LRGVDC at the

address below.

Mr. Kenneth N. Jones, Jr.,Executive Director

Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council311 N. 15th Street

McAllen, Texas 78501

For further questions or additional information please contact, Kenneth N. Jones,

Jr., in McAllen, Texas at the LRGVDC office (956) 682-3481, fax (956) 631-4670.

PAGE 8A Zentertainment SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

There’s going to be plen-ty to do during the 2011 edi-tion of Spring Break, whichkicks off today after schoollets out.

In Laredo, several eventscan help keep you busy, ifyou don’t have the urge —or bucks — to go out oftown for some fun. Therewill be entertainment forthe entire family, rangingfrom the movies to ticketedshows, including a concertand a monster truck show.But if you are in the moodto drive and have the bud-get to do so, you can alwayscheck out popular day-tripdestinations. Here’s aroundup of Spring Breakoptions.

LAREDOFor kids and adults alike,

the Laredo Energy Arenawill host Monster Jam, anaction-packed event featur-ing 10,000-pound trucks fly-ing in the air and crushingdummy vehicles. MonsterJam has shows set up forFriday, March 18, and Satur-day, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.,with a final show on Sun-day, March 20 at 2 p.m. Tick-ets are $18 for adults and $8for children.

Also for all ages, TexicanLucha Libre Promotionswill have a Mexican-stylewrestling event on Saturday,March 19, at 8 p.m. at Veter-ans Field. The main eventfeatures a title match, three-on-three, with La Sombra,Mascara and Mascara Dora-da vs. Mephisto, Avernoand Volador Jr. Tickets are$10 to $30; children’s bleach-er seats are $5.

Also during SpringBreak, Bryan Promotionswill present another con-

cert at the Casa Blanca Con-vention Center. The JoshAbbott Band is set to per-form at the venue on Fri-day, March 18, at 9 p.m.Tickets are $15 presale.

If you hadn’t noticed, thisSpring Break will featureSt. Patrick’s Day nextThursday. Clubs and barsaround town will have St.Patty’s parties, green beerand all. Most notably, La Po-sada Hotel will host a St.Patrick’s Day Celebration,dubbing it “An AuthenticIrish Party.” The partytakes place at the hotel’sWest Courtyard, from 5:30p.m. to 11 p.m. and will fea-ture live music by local art-ists Juan y Javier and TheReen and the Renegades.The best part: no cover!COST: $

SAN ANTONIOIf you want to take in

some sun, but want to beaway from all the madnesson the beaches, you couldgo relax at the famous Riv-er Walk in San Antonio.Though it may have its li-on’s share of tourists duringSpring Break, the River-walk is an enjoyable placeto go walk, have lunch ordinner or take a cruise onthe actual San Antonio Riv-er. And there are plenty ofgalleries and shops. It’s re-laxing enough for the na-ture lovers, and happeningfor the party people indowntown S.A. Then there’salways Fiesta Texas for thekids. . . COST: $$+

EAGLE PASSThough Eagle Pass

doesn’t have the alluresome big cities boast, itdoes have the KickapooLucky Eagle Casino. It’s the

next (and closest) thing toLas Vegas for those who en-joy gambling, such as play-ing some Texas Hold ’Em.It’s an entertaining way tospend a day, or more. Ofcourse, the cost depends onjust how much you want togamble… COST: $$-?

CORPUS CHRISTIIf you feel like taking in

some sun on the Gulf ofMexico shores, CorpusChristi is a close and entic-ing destination. Aside fromthe popular Texas StateAquarium and the USSLexington Museum on theBay, and the Selena monu-ment on Ocean Drive, a fewminutes away is MustangIsland, a tranquil beach forthe most part. There will beplenty of partying going on,as it’s a Plan B for the bea-chaholics who don’t make itto South Padre Island.

Neighboring Port Aransasis just as fun. COST: $$

SOUTH PADRE ISLANDThis is where the party’s

at — if you are college age.Tens of thousands of collegestudents from across theUnited States and northernMexico will make the tripto enjoy some of the bad-dest parties and concerts,including numerous out-door shows. The concertsfeature a variety of artistsfrom different genres givingvisitors plenty of options.And if you’re slightly overthe graduation age, it don’tmatter, since everyone is

there to have a good time’round the clock.

Here’s a mini-breakdownof a worthy Spring Breaklineup in South Padre:

Coca Cola Beach party:Through March 23, 11 a.m.to 5 p.m.

RedBull SoundClash — SnoopDogg vs. Ghostland Observatory:Thursday, March 17, 10 p.m.,Schlitterbahn Beach Water-park

DJ Tiesto: Friday, March18, 8 p.m., SchlitterbahnBeach Waterpark

3 Six Mafia: Friday, March18, 10 p.m., Mooncussers

Lil Keke, Chingo Bling, T. Dia-mondz and Curly Stone: Mon-day, March 14, 10 p.m.,Chaos Nightclub

Paul Wall: Wednesday,March 16, 10 p.m., ChaosNightclub

Cali Swag District: Saturday,March 19, 9 p.m., Mooncuss-ers

Yin Yang Twins: Tuesday,March 15, 10 p.m., Moon-cussers

DEV: Wednesday, March16, 10 p.m., Mooncussers

Chamillionaire: Sunday,March 13, 10 p.m., Moon-cussers

Lil Jon: Thursday, March17, 9 p.m., Louie’s Backyard

DJ Blitz: Monday, March14, 9 p.m., Louie’s Backyard

DJ Dirty Thirty: Friday,March 18, 9 p.m., Mooncuss-ers

DJ Skribble: Monday,March 14, 10 p.m., Moon-cussers

DJ Tina T: Wednesday,March 16, 9 p.m., LouiesBackyard

MTV’s Real World All Star Par-ty: Saturday, March 12 and19, 10 p.m., Padre RocksCOST: $$$$+

MCALLENMcAllen’s 17th Street dis-

trict in downtown has beenbustling for some time now,with new restaurants, barsand clubs popping up at ahigh rate. With small barscatering to the live musicscene to large nightclubs,McAllen has it all for peo-ple of all tastes. Often com-pared to Austin’s 6th Street,though smaller, the districtis full of eateries, boutiques,art galleries and fashionstores. It’s a bar hopper’sdream, according to fans.COST: $$$Each dollar sign ($) = $100

Spring Breakin’ all over TexasFun options are just a short drive away

By EMILIO RÁBAGO IIILAREDO MORNING TIMES

Spring breakers dance in this 2010 photo during “Texas Week” at the Coca-Cola Beach on South Padre Is-land. This year, South Padre will host a variety of concerts and events, including Snoop Dogg and DJ Tiesto.

Photo by Edward A. Ornelas | San Antonio Express-News

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Proceso Barrera Jr. ofZapata passed away Tues-day, March 1, 2011, at Lare-do Medical Center. He was88.

Barrera is preceded indeath by his wife, JulianaM. Barrera; daughter PetraBarrera; granddaughter,Yolanda Renee Elizalde;parents, Proceso Sr. and Ju-liana Barrera; brothers,Manuel (Amanda) Barrera,Raul (Olivia) Barrera, Isau-ro Barrera and Israel Bar-rera; and sisters, MariaBarrera and Ela B. (Emi-liano) Vela.

He is survived by hissons, Proceso Barrera IIIand Omar Barrera; daugh-ters, Hilda Barrera and No-ra (Jesse) Garcia; 10 grand-children; 19 great-grand-children; and 17

great-great-grandchildren;and by other family mem-bers and friends.

Visitation hours wereheld Monday, March 7,2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. witha rosary at 7 p.m. at RoseGarden Funeral Home.

The funeral processiondeparted Tuesday, March 8,

2011, at 9:45 for a 10 a.m. fu-neral Mass at Our Lady ofLourdes Catholic Church.Burial followed at ZapataCounty Cemetery, includ-ing full Military Honors bythe American Legion Post486 Color Guard.

Condolences may besent to the family atwww.rosegardenfuneral-home.com.

Funeral arrangementswere under the direction ofRose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonzalez,funeral director, 2102 U.S.Highway 83, Zapata.

PROCESO BARRERA JR.

dren; brother, Domingo(Maria) Garza; and bynumerous nephews, niec-es, other family membersand many friends.

Visitation hours wereheld Wednesday, March 9,2011, from 6 to 9 p.m.with a rosary at 7 p.m. atRose Garden Funeral

Federico M. Garza, 68,passed away Tuesday,March 8, 2011, at LaredoMedical Center.

Mr. Garza is precededin death by his son Fer-nando Garza; parents: Fe-derico Garza-Garza andMaria Martha Martinez-Perez; brother ManuelGonzalez; and sisters An-ita Gonzalez, Santos Gar-za and San Juana Garza.

Mr. Garza is survivedby his wife, Adelina G.Garza; son, Federico(Monica) Garza Jr.;daughters: Adelina (JoseLuis) Rocha, Maria ElisaGarza (Guadalupe Villar-real), Maria Martha (Es-tanislao) Garcia and Let-icia Garza (FlorencioBarrientos); 17 grandchil-dren; 15 great-grandchil-

Home.The funeral procession

will depart Thursday,March 10, 2011, at 9:45 fora 10 a.m. funeral Mass atOur Lady of LourdesCatholic Church. Com-mittal services will fol-low at Zapata CountyCemetery.

Funeral arrangementsare under the directionof Rose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonza-lez, funeral director, 2102Highway 83, Zapata.

FEDERICO M. GARZA

TOKYO — A ferocioustsunami unleashed by Ja-pan’s biggest recordedearthquake slammed intoits eastern coast Friday,killing hundreds of peopleas it carried away ships,cars and homes, and trig-gered widespread fires thatburned out of control.

Hours later, the waveswashed ashore on Hawaiiand the U.S. West Coast,where evacuations were or-dered from California toWashington but little dam-age was reported. The en-tire Pacific had been put onalert — including coastalareas of South America,Canada and Alaska — butwaves were not as bad asexpected.

In northeastern Japan,the area around a nuclearpower plant was evacuatedafter the reactor’s coolingsystem failed and pressurebegan building inside.

Police said 200 to 300bodies were found in thecoastal city of Sendai, thecity in Miyagi prefecture,or state, closest to the epi-center. But authorities saidthey weren’t able to reachthe area because of damageto the roads.

A police official, who de-clined to be named, said itmay be a while before res-cuers could reach the areato get a more precise bodycount. So far, they haveconfirmed 178 killed, with584 missing. Police alsosaid 947 people were in-jured.

The magnitude-8.9 off-shore quake triggered a 23-foot tsunami and was fol-lowed for hours by morethan 50 aftershocks, manyof them more than magni-tude 6.0. In the early hoursof Saturday, a magni-tude-6.7 earthquake struckthe central, mountainouspart of the country — farfrom the original quake’s

epicenter. It was not clear ifthis latest quake was relat-ed to the others.

Friday’s quake shookdozens of cities and villag-es along a 1,300-mile stretchof coast, including Tokyo,hundreds of miles from theepicenter. A section of Ke-sennuma, a town of 70,000people in Miyagi, burnedfuriously into the nightwith no apparent hope ofbeing extinguished, publicbroadcaster NHK said.

Koto Fujikawa, 28, wasriding a monorail when thequake hit and had to pickher way along elevatedtracks to the station.

“I thought I was going todie,” Fujikawa, who worksfor a marketing company,said. “It felt like the wholestructure was collapsing.”

Scientists said the quakeranked as the fifth-largestearthquake in the worldsince 1900 and was nearly

8,000 times stronger thanone that devastated NewZealand, last month.

“The energy radiated bythis quake is nearly equalto one month’s worth of en-ergy consumption” in theUnited States, U.S. Geologi-cal Survey Scientist BrianAtwater told The Associat-ed Press.

President Barack Obamapledged U.S. assistance fol-lowing what he called a po-tentially “catastrophic” di-saster. He said one U.S. air-craft carrier is already inJapan, and a second is onits way. A U.S. ship was al-so heading to the MarianasIslands, he added.

An American man work-ing at one of the nuclearplants near the coast whenthe quake hit said thewhole building shook anddebris fell from the ceiling.Danny Eudy, 52, a techni-cian employed by Pasede-

na, Texas-based AtlanticPlant Maintenance, and hiscolleagues escaped thebuilding just as the tsuna-mi hit, his wife told TheAssociated Press.

“He walked through somuch glass that his feetwere cut. It slowed himdown,” said Pineville, Loui-siana, resident Janie Eudy,who spoke to her husbandby phone after the quake.

The group watchedhomes and vehicles carryaway in the wave andfound their hotel mostlyswept away when they fi-nally reached it.

The government later or-dered about 3,000 residentsnear that plant — in thecity of Onahama — tomove back at least twomiles from the plant. Thereactor was not leaking ra-diation but its core re-mained hot even after ashutdown. The plant is 170

miles northeast of Tokyo. Japan’s nuclear safety

agency said pressure insidethe reactor at the Fukushi-ma No. 1 power plant hasrisen to 1.5 times the levelconsidered normal, andslightly radioactive vapormay be released to reducethe pressure.

The Defense Ministrysaid it had sent troopstrained to deal with chem-ical disasters to the plantin case of a radiation leak.

Trouble was reported attwo other nuclear plants,but there was no radiationleak at either of them.

Prime Minister NaotoKan planned to hold anemergency Cabinet meet-ing early Saturday morn-ing and then take a helicop-ter to the quake-hit areaand the troubled nuclearpower plants.

Japan’s coast guard saidit was searching for 80

dock workers on a shipthat was swept away from ashipyard in Miyagi.

Even for a country usedto earthquakes, this onewas of horrific proportionsbecause of the tsunami thatcrashed ashore, swallowingeverything in its path as itsurged several miles inlandbefore retreating. The apoc-alyptic images on JapaneseTV of powerful, debris-filled waves, uncontrolledfires and a ship caught in amassive whirlpool resem-bled scenes from a Holly-wood disaster movie.

Large fishing boats andother vessels rode highwaves ashore, slammingagainst overpasses orscraping under them andsnapping power lines alongthe way. Upturned and par-tially submerged carsbobbed in the water. Shipsanchored in ports crashedagainst each other.

Japan quake, tsunami kill hundredsBy MALCOLM FOSTER

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Smoke billows from houses in Natori, northern Japan, after the area was hit by a powerful earthquake and a tsunami Friday. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of thelargest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan’s eastern coast, killing hundreds of people and injuring scores more as it swept away boats, cars and homes while wide-spread fires burned out of control.

Photo by Mainichi Shimbun/Taichi Kaizuka | AP

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10A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

burglarized. Deputies say atool shed also was brokeninto.

Footprints led deputies tothe 1000 block of Elm Street.Their investigative actionsled them to recover the sto-len items, Elizondo said.

According to reports, theteenagers allegedly stole asound stream CD playerscreen, a 1000 watt Hybridchrome amplifier, a TVscreen projector and a Delldesktop computer with aflat screen monitor.

They also allegedly took

a PlayStation 3, a blue Sam-sung camera, and a 42-inchflat screen Samsung TV, as-sorted jewelry and $860, ac-cording to Elizondo.

The stolen merchandisehad an estimated value of$16,745.

Benavides, Buruato, Ca-macho and Chavez weretaken to Zapata RegionalJail, where they were heldin lieu of a $71,000 bondeach.

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

TEENS Continued from Page 1A

when the court contractedattorneys to draft an MOU.The document allows forfive members of the boardto be appointed by the coun-ty.

“She got that memoran-dum and she started writ-ing all over it,” Vela said.“When that got back to thecourt, we didn’t approve ne-gotiation.

“We didn’t call for you tomake any changes, weasked you to comply withit.”

Umphres said the memo-randum signed by theboard last week had a fewclarifications that had beenapproved by the county’s at-torney.

“I did not, and the boarddid not, want to sign untilwe had some legal counselreview it,” she said, addingthat it was approved withthe exception that it com-plies with IRS laws. “Thishas nothing to do with try-ing to be opposition to whattheir wishes are.”

them exhausting theirfunds before we appointnew members to theboard,” Vela said. “It lookslike poor management.”

Umphres said the interns’stipends were not in thebudget because they wereoptional and she was seek-ing grant money to supportthe added expense beforethe letter to the countyjudge had been sent.

“We didn’t anticipate hav-ing to pay them out of ouroperating budget,” she said.

She added that the EDChas a CPA who audits theorganization.

“I don’t think (Vela’s) fa-miliar with our operation,”Umphres said. “We try tolive within our budget, andwe have every year.”

MOUVela said the court decid-

ed it needed more oversightof the EDC when it learnedof the interns, and that’s

payment of an invoice from2006 at its Monday meeting,she may be able to return towork sooner.

As for the majority of theboard resigning, formerboard president Erasmo Vil-larreal said the group wasconcerned that its membersdidn’t have directors’ liabil-ity insurance, meaning theydidn’t have a type of insur-ance that would protectthem individually in theevent of a lawsuit. The issuearose as the board preparedto sign a memorandum ofunderstanding with ZapataCounty, which will requirethe insurance.

“Part of the new MOUthat was executed would re-quire the corporation tocarry certain insurancesthat are being not carriedright now,” Villarreal said.“Some of us were not com-fortable that there wasenough money to get all ofthis done.”

The EDC faced an extraexpenditure when it took on

two interns over the sum-mer. The interns were to bepaid $1,500 at the end oftheir internships, but thestipend wasn’t in the bud-get, according to formerboard member Amada Gon-zalez. After a letter fromone of the interns was sentto the county judge’s officestating that the interns hadnot been paid, the EDC re-quested an early disburse-ment of its quarterly pay-ment from the county inDecember to make the pay-ment, according to Gonza-lez.

Commissioner Jose Emi-lio Vela said that the EDCseeking funds from thecounty early is becoming apattern; he added that heplans to look into auditingthe center.

An item on Monday’sagenda also calls for theCommissioners Court to ap-point five of the board mem-bers.

“I think that we shouldfirst look into the matter of

ChangesThe MOU was presented

by the county to the EDC ata special meeting in Decem-ber, and Umphres said she’smade a few revisions to itbecause it would “threatenthe charitable status of theorganization.”

Commissioner EddieMartinez said he under-stood that there wasn’tenough language in theMOU for the EDC to main-tain its classification as a401c3 tax exempt organiza-tion. He added that hepushed for the MOU be-cause “I thought there wasvery little accountability onbehalf of us, the commis-sioners. “We had no, really,no leverage,” he added.

Umphres speculated thatthe board members, whoare all volunteers, resignedbecause “we haven’t gottenthe moral support and nur-turing that we need tohave.”

The only one who didn’t

resign is Joe Medrano, theone county appointee on thenine-member board.

“The existing board mem-bers felt like it’s an uphillbattle and that they weren’treally appreciated, eventhough they’re volunteeringtheir efforts and time,”Umphres said.

Villarreal said the situa-tion was different.

“I said, ‘If we don’t havethe director’s insurance,we’re all exposed to liabili-ty,’” Villarreal said.

He added that the boardmade a point of approvingthe MOU with the countyprior to resigning.

“We wanted to make surethat the MOU was in placebecause the MOU then gavethe Zapata County Commis-sioners Court permission toappoint the majority of theboard, and then the corpo-ration could continue intothe future.”

(Julie Daffern may bereached at 728-2565 or jdaff-ern@lmtonline.com)

BOARD Continued from Page 1A

The court also is scheduled toname several members to the ZapataCounty Beautification Committee,including:

Arturo Martinez, Diana Ruiz,Sergio Lozano and Darlene Butler

Amanda Salinas, Falcon Park;Lourdes M. Lopez, Lopeño Park; Ma-rio Álvarez, Romeo Flores Memorial

Park; Paco Mendoza, County Plaza –all as Precinct 1 appointees to theZapata County Beautification Com-mittee

Johnny Rathmell, Eddie Marti-nez and Sam Padgett, Texas Parks &Wildlife – as Precinct 3 appointees

Ana Holcomb – as a Precinct 4appointee

The last item on Monday’s agendais an executive session to discusspersonnel matters, requested byCharlie Avaritt, the Zapata CountyAirport manager, and County Trea-surer Romero Salinas.

(To reach Diana R. Fuentes, call728-2581 or e-mail dfuentes@lmton-line.com)

ZAPATA Continued from Page 1A

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

LAREDO – The Zapata girls trackteam continued to make history asthey embarked on to the 79th annualBorder Olympics last weekend.

For the first time in school history,the Lady Hawks had three differentmedalists.

Last year, the Lady Hawks had on-ly one member of the track teammedal in the meet, but in the pastfour seasons Zapata has managedseveral top six finishers.

Zapata came in strong as BrandiKing set the tone for the meet andsuccessfully defended her BorderOlympics title in the high jump.

King jumped a 5’2” to take the titleand fend off a strong performance by

St. Augustine’s Shelby Melendez.It was King’s third title in the high

jump, all coming at the same height.The Lady Hawks also showed why

they are one of the best running pro-grams in the area by placing third inthe 3200-meter run and capturing the1600-meter run.

Freshman Jazmine Garcia contin-ued from where she left off after a ve-ry successful cross country season.She placed third in the 3200-meterrun to kick off Zapata’s medal run.

She had to fend off teammate Mar-lena Garcia for the bronze medal.

Jazmine Garcia was able to accom-plish this feat with only one shoe af-ter her right shoe came off when shewas stepped on by another runner inonly her third lap.

For the next five laps, Garcia ranwith only one shoe, becoming thetalk of the meet about her gritty per-formance.

TRACK

Zapata’s Brandi King defended her title in the high jump at the Border Olympics track and field meet last week in Laredo.

Courtesy Photo

HAWKS MAKE HISTORYTeam boasts first ever trifecta of medalists

By CLARA SANDOVALZAPATA TIMES King jumped a 5’2” to take the title and fend

off a strong performance by St. Augustine’sShelby Melendez.

See TRACK PAGE 2B

ATHENS — On March6, Falcon InternationalReservoir produced itsthird Toyota ShareLunkerof the season, its four-teenth overall and thetwelfth entry into the Sha-reLunker program for thecurrent season.

The fish was caught at3:30 p.m. by Gene Patrin, ofZapata, in nine feet of 68-degree water. He was us-ing a watermelon redfluke.

The fish weighed 14.16pounds and was 24.75 inch-es long and 22 inches ingirth. It was held for pick-up at Robert’s Fish ‘nTackle, an official ToyotaShareLunker weigh andholding station.

Falcon has sputtered tolife sporadically over theyears, producing two Sha-

reLunkers last season andtwo in the 2007-2008 season.The current season marksthe first time the big reser-voir on the Texas-Mexicoborder has matched itspeak production of threeShareLunkers in 1995.

Despite its far southernlocation, Falcon tracks oth-er Texas reservoirs in pro-ducing the bulk of its en-tries after Jan. 1. Histori-cally it has produced onlythree ShareLunkers priorto Jan. 1. It has had threeentries in December, threein January, one in Febru-ary, four in March (count-ing No. 516) and three inApril.

So far this season, theleader in entries is O.H.Ivie Reservoir with six.Lake Austin has producedthree. Other lakes have yet

FISHING

Gene Patrin of Zapata caught Toyota ShareLunker 516 from Fal-con International Reservoir on March 6. The fish weighed 14.16pounds and was 24.75 inches long and 22 inches in girth.

Courtesy Photo by Robert Amaya

Strongseason

Falcon Lake matchespeak production

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See SHARELUNKER PAGE 2B

ATHENS — Falcon In-ternational Reservoir con-tinued to solidify its statusas one of the prime big-bass lakes in Texas onMarch 9 with a 13.56-pound largemouth that be-came Toyota ShareLunker517.

Jason Shropshire ofCleveland, Texas, caught

the fish about 8:30 a.m. in22 feet of 70-degree waterusing a Senko. The fishwas 25.125 inches long and21 inches in girth. It wasweighed and held for pick-up at Robert’s Fish ‘nTackle, an official ToyotaShareLunker weigh andholding station in Zapata.

The fish is being held atthe A.E. Wood Fish Hatch-ery in San Marcos pend-ing the results of genetictesting to determine if itis pure Florida large-mouth or an intergradehaving both Florida andnorthern largemouth

genes.If it is 90 percent or

more Florida, it will bemoved to the Texas Fresh-water Fisheries Center(TFFC) in Athens andspawned. If it has lessthan 90 percent Floridagenes, it will be returnedto Falcon as soon as possi-ble.

All anglers who enterShareLunkers into theprogram receive a fiber-glass replica of their catchand ShareLunker clothingand are honored at the an-

FISHING

Falcon a big-bass lake25 inch long fishcaught on March

9 in local lakeSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See SHROPSHIRE PAGE 2B

Fishing competitionwill be the order of theday on March 26 at FalconLake in Zapata. It’s all forthe South Texas FoodBank and its mission offeeding the hungry.

The first InternationalBass Challenge is plannedto benefit the South TexasFood Bank, which isbased in Laredo serving23,000 families per month

in an eight-county borderarea. The fundraiser issponsored by Webb Coun-ty Sheriff Martin Cuellarand the Zapata Chamberof Commerce.

Entry fee is $150 perboat with a $2,000 cashprize on the line for theheaviest stringer.

There will also be a sec-ond and third prize. Head-quarters and weighing forthe Bass Challenge will belakeside at the ZapataCounty public ramp.

The tournament starts15 miunutes before sun-rise and weigh-in is at 3p.m.

The event will include aMarch 25 Friday nightfish fry at the Zapata Civ-ic Center or the ZapataCounty Fair Pavilion. Thefish fry is open to the pub-lic at $10 per plate.

Contestants can regis-ter at the Zapata CountyChamber of Commerce or

BASS CHALLENGE

Zapata hosts internationalfishing tournament

By SALO OTEROSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See TOURNAMENT PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

by calling event coordina-tors are Pancho Farias ofthe South Texas FoodBank staff and Pete Arre-dondo of the Webb CountySheriff Department.

Farias can be reached at(956) 645-0840 and Arredon-do at (956) 489-2421. TheZapata Chamber numberis (956) 765-4871. Informa-tion is also available fromEllie Reyes of the SouthTexas Food Bank at ellie-reyes3@gmail.com.

An enthusiastic Fariassaid, “Falcon Lake is theNo. 1 Bass lake in the na-tion. Bass 10 pounds orover are common, in factRanger boats redesignedtheir live wells because ofFalcon Lake.”

Farias, an avid outdoors-man, predicts, “There willbe several 10 pounders be-cause of the time of theyear. It’s right at the peakof spawning.”

The fact is the SouthTexas Food Bank convertsevery dollar raised into

seven meals. Farias andArredondo are optimisti-cally eyeing 100 boats inthe water.

Arredondo noted that“there were over 200 an-glers at a recent BassChampions pro tourney.”

Romeo Salinas, ZapataCounty treasurer, is a val-ued member of the SouthTexas Food Bank board.He said, “A tournamentlike this is an economicboost to our community.We have a beautiful lake.The water levels are high.Our lake is safe if you juststay on U.S. waters. Fish-ermen will be in for agood treat. They’ve beenpulling 12 to 13 pounders.

“Non-fishermen cancome in during the weigh-in and enjoy the big fish.The fish are released rightback into the lake. It’s abig plus for Zapata and forthe food bank. The moneyis used to continue thefood bank mission.”

The food bank distrib-

uted supplemental food to17,502 Zapata County fam-ilies in 2010. The SouthTexas Food Bank distrib-uted an all-time record12,424,080 (12.4 million)pounds in 2010, including577,046 pounds in ZapataCounty.

The food bank dependson pantries and agenciesfor distribution. Zapata isserved via five pantries.Helping Hands is thelargest and open Mondaythrough Friday 8 a.m. to 5p.m. Norma Mendoza is incharge and the telephonenumber is (956) 765-9327.

The other four pantries ,their contact person andphone numbers are:

Shepherd’s Pantry,Mary Pulido (956) 765-0123.

Concilio El Buen Pas-tor, Gilberto Hernandez,(956) 765-1300.

Boys and Girls Club,Viola Torres, (956) 765-3892.

Iglesia PentecostesEmmanuel, Enedina Mo-rales, (956) 750-0182.

TOURNAMENT Continued from Page 1B

nual ShareLunker ban-quet regardless of wheth-er their fish is used forspawning or not.

After years of low waterlevel during which brushand other vegetation grewup in the dry lake bottom,Falcon rose in 2004 andcompletely filled in 2008and again in 2010.

“There was tremendousbass production in 2004and 2005,” said TexasParks and Wildlife De-partment (TPWD) inlandfisheries biologist RandyMyers, who manages thelake’s fishery.

Fish spawned duringthose years had amplefood and places to hidedue to all the submergedvegetation and are nowreaching the age at whichthey have had time togrow to 13 pounds.

Shropshire’s fish is the13th entry into the ToyotaShareLunker programthis season and the 15thentry from Falcon.

Falcon ranks sixthamong Texas reservoirsin ShareLunker produc-tion, following Lake Fork(246), Alan Henry (25),Sam Rayburn (23), O.H.Ivie (22), and Conroe (16).

Anyone legally catchinga 13-pound or biggerlargemouth bass fromTexas waters, public orprivate, between October1 and April 30 may sub-mit the fish to the ToyotaShareLunker program bycalling program managerDavid Campbell at (903)681-0550 or paging him at(888) 784-0600 and leavinga phone number includ-ing area code.

Fish will be picked upby TPWD personnel with-

in 12 hours.For complete informa-

tion and rules of the Sha-reLunker program, tipson caring for big bass, alist of official Toyota Sha-reLunker weigh and hold-ing stations and a recapof last year’s season, seewww.tpwd.state.tx.us/sha-relunker.

The site also includes asearchable database of allfish entered into the pro-gram along with pictureswhere available.

Information on currentcatches, including shortvideos of interviews withanglers when available, isposted on www.face-book.com/sharelunker-program.

SHROPSHIRE Continued from Page 1B

Shropshire’s fish is the 13th entryinto the Toyota ShareLunkerprogram this season and the 15thentry from Falcon.

to be heard from.Falcon is subject to wide

swings in water level be-cause of its role in supply-ing irrigation water to thelower Rio Grande Valley.However, it is currently95.56 percent full and hasbeen at or above conserva-tion capacity for months.

Remaining full duringthis spring’s spawning sea-son will provide good hab-itat for young fish to hideand feed in, setting thestage for the production ofbass that will reach theToyota ShareLunker mini-mum size of 13 poundsstarting about 2018.

Anyone legally catching a13-pound or bigger large-mouth bass from Texas wa-ters, public or private, be-tween Oct. 1 and April 30may submit the fish to theToyota ShareLunker pro-

gram by calling programmanager David Campbell at(903) 681-0550 or paging himat (888) 784-0600 and leavinga phone number includingarea code.

Fish will be picked up byTPWD personnel within 12hours.

ShareLunker entries areused in a selective breedingprogram at the Texas Fresh-water Fisheries Center(TFFC) in Athens. Some ofthe offspring from these fishare stocked back into thewater body from which theywere caught.

Other ShareLunkeroffspring are stocked in pub-lic waters around the statein an attempt to increasethe overall size and growthrate of largemouth bass inTexas.

Anglers entering fish intothe Toyota ShareLunker

program receive a free repli-ca of their fish, a certificateand ShareLunker clothingand are recognized at a ban-quet at the Texas Freshwa-ter Fisheries Center in Ath-ens.

For complete informationand rules of the ShareLunk-er program, tips on caringfor big bass, a list of officialToyota ShareLunker weighand holding stations and arecap of last year’s season,see www.tpwd.state.tx.us/sharelunker.

The site also includes asearchable database of allfish entered into the pro-gram along with pictureswhere available.

Information on currentcatches, including short vid-eos of interviews with an-glers when available, is post-ed on www.facebook.com/sharelunkerprogram.

SHARELUNKER Continued from Page 1B

Marlena just missed themedal stand with a fourthplace finish in 12:10.

Marlena finished theBorder Olympics with astrong 1600-meter run,where she fought off a tal-ented field that includedEdinburg’s Rebecca Rodri-guez and Edinburg

North’s Ariana Lumbre-ras.

Marlena captured herfirst Border Olympics goldmedal. After the race, shewas approached by coach-es from A&M CorpusChristi and Pan AmericanUniversity, both NCAA Di-vision I colleges.

The team will be on athree-week hiatus and willnot compete again untilApril 2 at the HebbronvilleInvitational.

Five days later, theHawks will head over tothe district meet on April7 and 9 that will be held inRio Grande City.

TRACK Continued from Page 1B

AUBURN, Ala. — Au-burn coach Gene Chizikhas dismissed four playersfrom the national cham-pions after they were ar-rested on robbery and oth-er charges early Fridaymorning.

Auburn police saidMike McNeil, AntonioGoodwin, Shaun Kitchensand Dakota Mosley wereeach charged with fivecounts of first-degree rob-bery, one count of first-de-gree burglary and onecount of third-degree theftof property.

Police said in a state-ment that three blackmales entered a residencewith five occupants at12:25 a.m. Friday and onewas armed with a hand-gun. Mosley is white.

Police said there were

no injuries reported. Thefour were in a vehiclestopped by police based ona description given by thevictims, and officers reco-vered a pistol and proper-ty reported stolen fromthe residence.

All were taken to theLee County DetentionCenter on $511,000 bond.

Chizik said he was “ex-tremely disappointed andembarrassed” by the inci-dent.

“The players arrested inconnection with this deep-ly troubling incident havebeen permanently dis-missed from our footballteam,” Chizik said in astatement. “While we real-ize the legal process willrun its course and theseyoung men have a rightfor their case to be heard,playing for Auburn Uni-versity is an honor and a

privilege. It is not a right. “We hold our student-

athletes to a high standardof conduct on and off thefield as representatives ofAuburn University, andthis kind of behavior isnot tolerated.”

Auburn also kickedrunning back Eric Smithoff the team following hisFeb. 22 arrest on a third-degree domestic violencecharge.

McNeil, 22, was a start-ing safety who had 14tackles, 12 of them solostops, in the national titlegame against Oregon. Hefinished fifth on the teamwith 56 tackles.

Kitchens, 19, and Good-win, 20, were reserve re-ceivers who played mostlyon special teams as fresh-men while Dakota Mosley,19, is a tight end who red-shirted last season.

National champ dismisses fourASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS, Ohio —The Columbus lawyer whotipped off Ohio State coachJim Tressel that two of hisplayers were involved in afederal drug traffickingcase has received deaththreats and now says heregrets ever contacting theBuckeyes coach.

“I’m not the Judas inthis situation. You know, Ifeel like Peter, but I’m notthe Judas,” attorney Chris-topher Cicero said in aninterview Friday withESPN’s “Outside TheLines” and reported onESPN.com.

Tressel has admitted heviolated NCAA rules fornot disclosing informationCicero e-mailed to him. Herepeatedly refrained fromtelling Ohio State’s compli-ance department or his su-periors about potentialNCAA bylaw violations in-volving some of his play-ers.

Tressel has been sus-pended for the first twogames of the 2011 seasonand must pay a $250,000fine. The NCAA could levyadditional penalties onTressel. The coach re-ceived a resounding voteof confidence from athleticdirector Gene Smith andOhio State President E.

Gordon Gee at a news con-ference on Tuesday night.

In the first e-mail fromCicero, at 2:32 p.m. onApril 2, 2010, Cicero saidthat Ohio State playerswere giving autographedBuckeyes football shirts,jerseys and footballs to aColumbus tattoo-parlorowner who was under in-vestigation by the U.S. At-torney in a drug-traffick-ing case.

“Just passing this on toyou,” Cicero wrote.

Exactly four hours later,Tressel replied: “Thanks. Iwill get on it ASAP.”

However, the coach didnot tell Smith or anyone inhis compliance depart-ment until officials pre-sented him with the e-mails in January — morethan nine months afterstar quarterback TerrellePryor and four teammateswere suspended for thefirst five games of the 2011season for selling signedjerseys and gloves alongwith championship ringsand trophies for money inaddition to getting dis-

counts on tattoos. Cicero said he had re-

ceived death threats in thepast few days since hisrole in Tressel’s NCAA vi-olation came to light. Ya-hoo! Sports first reportedon Monday that Tresselhad prior knowledge of theimproper benefits involv-ing his players.

“I wanted him to knowthat the kids had beenhanging out with a personwho was the subject of afederal investigation,” Cic-ero said when asked whyhe told Tressel about theplayers’ relationship withEddie Rife, the owner ofthe tattoo parlor. “As a re-sult of that, I also heardthat they had been ex-changing memorabiliawith this particular per-son. And I outlined that inthe e-mail. I threw it outthere, quite frankly, it wasjust to tell him (Tressel)that that’s what it was.”

Cicero is a former walk-on football player at OhioState in the 1980s whenEarle Bruce was the headcoach.

Lawyer recieves deaththreats from OSU fans

By RUSTY MILLERASSOCIATED PRESS Cicero said he had received death

threats in the past few days sincehis role in Tressel’s NCAAviolation came to light.

AUSTIN — Former Tex-as Tech University footballcoach Mike Leach couldsue the school for breachof contract under legisla-tion introduced Friday in

the Texas House. State Rep. Craig Eiland

filed the proposal on thelast possible day thatHouse rules allow for theintroduction of new legisla-tion. The resolution wouldallow Leach’s wrongful dis-missal lawsuit against the

school to proceed. Texas Tech fired Leach

on Dec. 30, 2009, two daysafter suspending him amidallegations he mistreated aplayer with a concussion.Leach has denied mistreat-ing Adam James, the sonof ESPN analyst Craig

James, and has said hesuspects an $800,000 bonushe was due Dec. 31, 2009,was the reason he wasfired.

His lawsuit against Tex-as Tech was thrown outwhen the universityclaimed immunity as a

state institution, a decisionupheld in January by thestate’s 7th Court of Ap-peals. The appeals courtruling allows Leach to tryto show Texas Tech’s rea-sons for firing him werewrong, but the prospect ofwinning monetary relief.

Leach has appealed thatdecision to the Texas Su-preme Court. Another wayaround it is to have theLegislature specifically au-thorize Leach to sue.

Eiland’s proposal isHouse Concurrent Resolu-tion 101.

Leach’s lawsuit may get second chanceBy CHRIS TOMLINSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

YANKEES AND BLUE JAYS HIGHLIGHT SPRING TRAINING

Photo by Kathy Willens | AP

Toronto Blue Jays’ Scott Podsednik slides in behind the throw to New York Yankees second basemanRonnie Belliard for a stolen base during the second inning of a spring training baseball game in Du-nedin, Fla., on Friday.

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

FAMILY CIRCUS DENNIS THE MENACE

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

Dear Readers: With win-ter here, it’s a perfect time touse your SLOW COOKERfor some delicious comfortfood and to save on yourfood budget! Here are somehelpful hints:

Can’t find the lid ofyour slow cooker? Check outresale shops for a match.

If the pot of your slowcooker is not removable,clean with water and somedish soap. If baked-on foodremains, fill the pot with wa-ter and plug in for about 20-30 minutes. Stuck foodshould loosen and be easierto clean.

Newer models of slowcookers have a "warm" set-ting to keep foods, dips andeven beverages, well, warm!

No peeking! Every timeyou look in on your foodcooking, it adds 20 to 30 min-utes to your cook time,which means dinner is lateand you use more energy.

Cut up veggies thenight before, or use frozenones.

Concerned about leav-ing the cooker on all daywhile not at home? Don’t be.They can be safely usedwhile no one is watching.

Once you use one, you’llask yourself, "Why didn’t Ido this before?" -- Heloise

KEEPING GRAVY WARMDear Heloise: For big fam-

ily dinners, I use my insulat-ed, glass-lined coffee carafesfor the gravy. It works greatfor a large family dinner,and everyone can be assured

that the gravy will be hot,especially for those returntrips. I also use my slowcookers for keeping mashedpotatoes and dressing warm.-- Susanne in La HabraHeights, Calif.

CEREAL HINTDear Heloise: When I buy

boxes of cereal, I immediate-ly pour the contents into aclear, gallon-size zipper bagand throw away the big, bul-ky boxes. Now it’s easy todetermine which cereal youwant, and the sealed bagkeeps it fresher. Takes upless space on the shelf, too! --Jean in Torrington, Conn.

Good point, and one I dosometimes. I cut off the labeland the nutritional info andslip it in the bag for laterreference. -- Heloise

LIDS AS COOKIE CUT-TERS

Dear Heloise: I keep thetops of spray-oil cans. Afterwashing them, I use them asbiscuit and cookie cutters. --Treva Easterling in Florida

SEND A GREAT HINTTO:

HeloiseP.O. Box 795000San Antonio, TX 78279-

5000Fax: 210-HELOISEE-mail: Heloise@He-

loise.com

HINTS BY | HELOISE

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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES Sports SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

WASHINGTON — NFLlabor talks broke down justhours before the latest con-tract extension expired Fri-day, putting America’s mostpopular sport on a path toits first work stoppagesince 1987.

The NFL players’ uniondecertified — effectivelyceasing to operate as a cer-tified union — and playersincluding Tom Brady andPeyton Manning sued theleague.

Despite 16 days of nego-tiations with a federalmediator — and previousmonths of stop-and-startbargaining — the sidescould not agree on a newdeal. The league said ithadn’t decided whether tolock out the players, who,meanwhile, went to courtto request an injunction toblock such a move.

“The parties have not

achieved an overall agree-ment, nor have they beenable to resolve the stronglyheld competing positionsthat separated them oncore issues,” mediatorGeorge Cohen said. “Nouseful purpose would beserved by requesting theparties to continue themediation process at thistime.”

By dissolving and an-nouncing it no longer rep-resents the players in col-lective bargaining, the NFLPlayers Association clearedthe way for class-actionlawsuits against the NFL,which opted out of the CBAin 2008.

The CBA originally wasdue to expire last week,then was extended twice, inhopes that the sides couldfind common ground onthe key issues: how to di-vide more than $9 billion inannual revenues, and howmuch financial informationthe league would be willingto turn over.

It all set the stage for alengthy court fight thateventually could threatenthe 2011 season. The lastwork stoppage came when

the players struck 24 yearsago, leading to games withreplacement players.

The NFLPA also decerti-fied in 1989. Antitrust law-suits by players led to anew CBA in 1993 that in-cluded free agency, and theunion formed again thatyear.

“We met with the ownersuntil about 4 o’clock today,”union head DeMauriceSmith said outside themediator’s office. “We dis-cussed a proposal they hadpresented. At this time, sig-nificant differences contin-ue to remain. We informedthe owners that ... if therewas going to be a requestfor an extension, that weasked for 10 years of audi-ted financial information toaccompany that extension.”

About 15 minutes later,the union decertified.

“No one is happy wherewe are now,” NFL lead ne-gotiator Jeff Pash said. “Ithink we know where thecommitment was. It was acommitment to litigate allalong.”

A league statement add-ed: “The union left a verygood deal on the table.”

DeMaurice Smith executive director for the NFL Players Association, arrives for negotiations with theNFL involving a federal mediator on Friday in Washington.

Photo by Alex Brandon | AP

Communication breakdownUnion decertifies,

players fileantitrust lawsuit

By HOWARD FENDRICHASSOCIATED PRESS

ARLINGTON — TheTexas Rangers abruptlyannounced Friday thatCEO and managing part-ner Chuck Greenberg isleaving the organizationthree weeks before the ALchampions open the sea-son and just seven monthsafter leading the purchaseof the team in a dramaticbankruptcy court show-down.

In a statement releasedby the Rangers, Greenbergindicated that he was leav-ing because of differencesbetween he, team presi-dent Nolan Ryan andboard co-chairmen RayDavis and Bob Simpson.

“Unfortunately, NolanRyan, the co-chairmenand I have somewhat dif-ferent styles. While I amdisappointed we did notwork through our differ-ences, I remain whole-heartedly committed todoing what’s right for thefranchise,” Greenbergsaid. “Together we con-cluded it is best for allconcerned for me to sellmy interest back to Rang-ers Baseball Express andmove on. I do so with aheavy heart.”

Ryan will add the titleof CEO and oversee allbaseball and business op-erations for the organiza-tion, reporting directly tothe team’s board of direc-tors. The Hall of Famepitcher, who finished his27-season playing careerwith the Rangers, becametheir team president inFebruary 2008.

Ryan was scheduled tojoin Davis and Simpson,the largest investors inthe ownership group, in anews conference at Rang-ers Ballpark later Fridayto discuss Greenberg’s de-parture.

In a joint statement, Da-vis and Simpson toutedGreenberg’s hard work

and “unwavering commit-ment” to the team andwhat was accomplished intheir short time owningthe club.

“We thank Chuck forhis many contributions tothe organization, andwish him well in his fu-ture endeavors,” the state-ment read. “At the sametime, we are very confi-dent in the continued suc-cess and further develop-ment of the Texas Rangersunder Nolan’s leadership.”

Greenberg, a Pittsburghattorney who recentlymoved into a new home inNorth Texas, didn’t returnmessages left by The Asso-ciated Press.

Greenberg, who had on-ly a small ownershipstake in the team, andRyan were the most visi-ble figures during the pro-longed process of purchas-ing the Rangers from TomHicks. After entering intoexclusive negotiationswith Hicks in December2009, an initial agreementwas reached the followingmonth.

But the acquisition wasdelayed and then ended upin U.S. Bankruptcy Court.The team’s May filing in-cluded a plan to sell to the18-investor group led byGreenberg and Ryan, butangry creditors success-fully argued to reopen the

bidding. The messy courtfight dragged on for 11weeks and included anauction showdown withDallas Mavericks ownerMark Cuban last August.

The Greenberg-Ryangroup won with a bid val-ued at about $590 million.

“Chuck’s determinationduring an extremely longand complicated sales pro-cess was crucial in deliv-ering a positive outcomefor our ownership grouplast August,” Ryan said inthe team’s release. “Weowe him a great deal ofthanks for those effortsand I wish him only thebest.”

The day after MajorLeague Baseball formallyapproved the sale, Green-berg and Ryan announcedlower prices for conces-sions, parking and mer-chandise at Rangers Ball-park.

When Greenberg wasn’tsitting in the front rowwith Ryan through theend of the regular seasonand in the playoffs, he of-ten was sitting in differentareas of the ballpark withfans.

In the weeks after theWorld Series, which theRangers lost in five gamesto San Francisco, the teamadded a new chief operat-ing officer and three vicepresidents.

Rangers CEOGreenberg quits

By STEPHEN HAWKINSASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas Rangers co-owner and new CEO Nolan Ryan listens to aquestion during a news conference in Arlington on Friday. Ryanreplaced Chuck Greenberg as baseball club’s CEO.

Photo by LM Otero | AP