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From a $7 million deficit to Mexican pi-rates at Falcon Lake, Zapata County en-dured quite a beating in 2010, but the com-munity stayed optimistic and kept its headabove water in one of the largest floods indecades.

It was no secret that things did not lookvery promising for Zapata County after oil

production slowed down, taking tourismwith it — not to mention an even greaterdecrease in tourism after David Hartleywas shot and killed by Mexican cartelmembers while jet skiing with his wife onthe Mexican side of Falcon Lake.

Despite all the bad news and natural di-sasters, Zapata County managed to finishseveral multi-million-dollar projects, includ-ing the Zapata County Museum of History,the Advance Education Center, and a new

water treatment plant more than doublethe size of the old one.

The following are The Zapata Times’ topstories of the year; in no particular order:

In August, Zapata County receivednews of a $7 million deficit in the countybudget during a Commissioners Courtmeeting. All county departments wereasked to cut 20 percent or more of their

LOOKING BACK

Goodbye to rough yearBudget deficit, tourism trouble mar 2010, but there were bright spots

See GOODBYE PAGE 8A

010122YEAR IN REVIEW

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

As a Zapata resident holds out hope to winmoney to expand the county’s animalcontrol, she’s now approaching the headof the program about creating a nonprof-

it agency to run a shelter.“I have looked in many places for funding and,

unfortunately, funding is not available for sheltersthat are under a government entity,” Hernandezsaid. “Through my research I found that unlimited

amounts of funding are available for nonprofits.”Specific animal shelter grants would pay for food

and supplies, Hernandez added.Animal Control Director Guillermo Martin

Saenz was very receptive of the idea, but said hehas limited amount of spare time to work on sucha large project to transition into a non-profit organ-ization, he said.

“I told Auddy (Hernandez) that it won’t be hap-pening until next year, and, as soon as we can get

ANIMAL CONTROL

ABOVE: The Zapata County Animal Shelter is pictured Wednesday afternoon. BELOW RIGHT: An animal shelter sign is seen onthe floor because of roofing renovations. BELOW LEFT: A playful pitbull jumps at the fence at the Zapata County Animal Shel-ter.

Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times

MISSION OF LOVEZapatan works to find home for lost pets

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See PETS PAGE 8A

Falcon Lake is an internation-al reservoir with a surface areaof more than 83,000 acres, so it’seasy to see why it’s hard to keepboaters and fisherman away astrucks with boat trailers at-tached filled the parking lot ofthe public boat ramp Wednesdayafternoon.

Several months have passedsince the David Hartley shootingincident took place on the Mex-ican side of Falcon Lake thatkept most tourists away, and boa-ters and fishermen have return-ed to the lake filled with record-breaking bass for the beginningof the fishing season that runsfrom January through

TOURISM

Trucks and trailers fill the parking lot next to the boat ramp Wednesday after-noon. Fishermen have begun to head back to the lake.

Photos courtesy of Steven Martinez

Fishermen headback to the lake

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See FISHERMEN PAGE 7A

A New Year’s resolution issomething you promise to do,promise to do better, or promiseto keep doing and this NewYear around Zapata County;people from all walks of life aremaking their New Year’s reso-

lutions lists and mostly askingfor healthier lifestyles.

“My New Year’s resolutionwould be to stay in good healthand the rest. It doesn’t matter,as long as I’m in good health Ican do anything,” said formerZapata County Judge Rosalva

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Residentssound off ongoals for 2011

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See RESOLUTION PAGE 8A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

MONDAY, JAN. 3Texas A & M International Uni-

versity offices reopen at 8 a.m. for allservices. For additional information,contact the Office of Public Relations,Marketing and Information Services at(956) 326-2180.

TUESDAY, JAN. 4The Alzheimer’s Support Group

meets today at 7 p.m. in meetingroom 2, Building B of the Laredo Medi-cal Center. The support group is forfamily members and caregivers takingcare of someone who has Alzheimer’s.For more information, contact MelissaL. Guerra at (950) 693-9991.

FRIDAY, JAN. 7The Laredo Early College High

School is hosting a blood drive from 9a.m. to 2 p.m. at TAMIU. Blood donorrequirements are as follows: anyonewho is 16 years old weighing 120pounds (with parental consent form),or at least 17 years old weighing 110pounds, and in good general healthcan donate blood. Identification re-quired. Call (800) 292-5534 for moreinformation.

SATURDAY, JAN. 8Learn about robotics, drive a

real robot and explore opportunities inscience, technology, engineering andmathematics. Meet Laredo’s award-win-ning teams and discover more aboutRobotics at the Imaginarium of SouthTexas in Mall del Norte from 9 a.m. to3 p.m. For more information, contactJose Perez at jose@imaginariumstx.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 11LB Johnson High School is host-

ing a blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 4p.m. at 5626 Cielito Lindo. Blood do-nor requirements are as follows: any-one who is 16 years old weighing 120pounds (with parental consent form),or at least 17 years old weighing 110pounds, and in good general healthcan donate blood. Identification re-quired. Call (800) 292-5534 for moreinformation.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12Martin High School is hosting a

blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.at 2002 San Bernardo. Blood donor re-quirements are as follows: anyone whois 16 years old weighing 120 pounds(with parental consent form), or atleast 17 years old weighing 110 pounds,and in good general health can donateblood. Identification required.

THURSDAY, JAN. 13Martin High School is hosting a

blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.at 2002 San Bernardo. Blood donor re-quirements are as follows: anyone whois 16 years old weighing 120 pounds(with parental consent form), or atleast 17 years old weighing 110 pounds,and in good general health can donateblood. Identification required.

Today there is a mandatory pa-rade meeting for all WBCA Parade Par-ticipants 6 p.m. at the Laredo CivicCenter in rooms 1, 2 and 3.

FRIDAY, JAN. 14Doctors Hospital is hosting a

blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at10700 McPherson Ave. Blood donor re-quirements are as follows: anyone whois 16 years old weighing 120 pounds(with parental consent form), or atleast 17 years old weighing 110 pounds,and in good general health can donateblood. Identification required.

THURSDAY, JAN. 20Nixon High School is hosting a

blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.at 2000 Plum. Blood donor require-ments are as follows: anyone who is 16years old weighing 120 pounds (withparental consent form), or at least 17years old weighing 110 pounds, and ingood general health can donate blood.Identification required.

FRIDAY, JAN. 21Laredo Medical Center is hosting

a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.at 1700 East Saunders. Blood donorrequirements are as follows: anyonewho is 16 years old weighing 120pounds (with parental consent form),or at least 17 years old weighing 110pounds, and in good general healthcan donate blood. Identification re-quired.

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

CALENDARToday is Saturday, Jan. 1,

the first day of 2011. There are364 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On Jan. 1, 1863, PresidentAbraham Lincoln signed theEmancipation Proclamation,declaring that slaves in rebelstates were free.

On this date: In 1511, the first Henry,

Duke of Cornwall, son of KingHenry VIII of England andCatherine of Aragon, wasborn. (However, the baby diedless than two months later.)

In 1861, Mexican forces loy-al to Benito Juarez recapturedMexico City, effectively endingthe Reform War.

In 1890, the first Tourna-ment of Roses was held in Pa-sadena, Calif.

In 1892, the Ellis Island Im-migrant Station in New Yorkformally opened.

In 1911, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg, con-sidered the sport’s first Jewishsuperstar, was born in NewYork.

In 1953, country singerHank Williams Sr., 29, was dis-covered dead in the back seatof his car during a stop in OakHill, W.Va., while he was beingdriven to a concert date inCanton, Ohio.

In 1959, Fidel Castro and hisrevolutionaries overthrew Cu-ban leader Fulgencio Batista,who fled to the Dominican Re-public.

In 1961, in the first Ameri-can Football League Cham-pionship Game, the HoustonOilers defeated the Los An-geles Chargers, 24-16, at Jeppe-sen Stadium.

In 1984, the breakup ofAT&T took place as the tele-communications giant wasdivested of its 22 Bell Systemcompanies under terms of anantitrust agreement.

In 1994, the North Ameri-can Free Trade Agreementwent into effect.

Ten years ago: It was an-nounced that Tyson Foods Inc.would buy beef and pork giantIBP Inc. in a deal valued at$3.2 billion in cash and stock.(Tyson later tried to back out,but IBP sued, and a judge or-dered Tyson to complete thedeal.) In time for the year 2001,a mysterious black monolith,standing nine feet tall, ap-peared in Seattle’s MagnusonPark, placed there by guerrillaartists. Actor Ray Walstondied in Beverly Hills, Calif., atage 86.

One year ago: A suicidebomber detonated a truckloadof explosives on a volleyballfield in northwest Pakistan,killing at least 97 people.

Today’s Birthdays: For-mer Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., is 89. Actor Ty Hardin is81. Documentary maker Fre-derick Wiseman is 81. ActorFrank Langella is 73. Rocksinger-musician Country JoeMcDonald is 69. Writer-come-dian Don Novello is 68. ActorRick Hurst is 65. Country sing-er Steve Ripley (The Tractors)is 61. Sen. Robert Menendez,D-N.J., is 57. Rapper Grand-master Flash is 53. ActressRen Woods is 53. Actress De-dee Pfeiffer is 47. Actress Em-beth Davidtz is 45. Countrysinger Brian Flynn (FlynnvilleTrain) is 45. Actor MorrisChestnut is 42. Actor VerneTroyer is 42.

Thought for Today: “It isbetter to know some of thequestions than all of the an-swers.” — James Thurber,American humorist (1894-1961).

TODAY IN HISTORY

BASTROP — Along a stretch of Highway21, in Texas’ pastoral Hill Country, is a vege-tative wasteland. Trees are barren, or coveredin gray, dying foliage and peeling bark. Fall-en, dead limbs litter the ground where pecangrowers and ranchers have watched trees dieslow, agonizing deaths.

Visible above the horizon is what manyplant specialists, environmentalists and scien-tists believe to be the culprit: the Fayette Pow-er Project — a coal-fired power plant that fornearly 30 years has operated mostly withoutequipment designed to decrease emissions ofsulfur dioxide, a component of acid rain.

The plant’s operator and the state’s envi-ronmental regulator deny sulfur dioxide pol-lution is to blame for the swaths of plant dev-astation across Central Texas. But evidence

collected from the Appalachian Mountains toNew Mexico indicates sulfur dioxide pollu-tion kills vegetation, especially pecan trees.Pecan growers in Albany, Ga., have receivedmillions of dollars in an out-of-court settle-ment with a power plant whose sulfur dioxideemissions harmed their orchards.

Now, extensive tree deaths are being report-ed elsewhere in Texas, home to 19 coal-firedpower plants — more than any other state.Four more are in planning stages. In each ar-ea where the phenomenon is reported, a coal-fired power plant operates nearby.

The Fayette Power Project sits on a 10-square-mile site about 60 miles southeast ofAustin, near where horticulturalist Jim Ber-ry, who owns a wholesale nursery in GrandSaline, describes a 30-mile stretch of Highway21 as a place where "the plant communitywas just devastated."

AROUND TEXAS

In this photo taken Dec. 15, pecan grower John Divin looks over his pecans in Ellinger. Some environmentalists, ranchersand scientists believe the cause of trees dying in the area is sulfur dioxide emissions from the nearby Fayette Power Project,a coal-fired power plant.

Photo by David J. Phillip | AP

Coal plant gets blameBy RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas community collegessee booming enrollmentAUSTIN — Community col-

lege enrollment in Texas surged12.2 percent from 2008 to 2009, atrend officials expect to continueeven as educators worry whetherfunding levels during a statebudget crunch can support thegrowth.

The Austin American-States-man reported Thursday that theenrollment increase at two-yearschools was nearly three timesthe growth at four-year institu-tions.

Houston mayor orders cityemployee furloughs

HOUSTON — Mayor AnniseParker is ordering most Houstoncity workers to take six unpaiddays off over the next six monthsas she tries to close an estimated$30 million budget shortfall.

Parker said police, firefighters,grant-funded positions and work-ers making less than $24,000 ayear would be exempt.

Dallas renews effortagainst graffiti

DALLAS — Dallas officials arerenewing they city’s effortagainst graffiti ahead of the Su-per Bowl.

City Council member DeliaJasso says, “We’re not putting upwith it anymore. "

At a news conference Wednes-day, a demonstration was givenon how a machine blasting amixture of air and baking sodacan eliminate graffiti.

Woman charged inHouston boy’s death

HOUSTON — A woman hasbeen charged with capital mur-der in the death of a 12-year-oldHouston boy whose badlyburned body was found in aditch this week following hisChristmas Eve disappearance.

Mona Yvette Nelson, 44, wasarrested Wednesday. She re-mained in jail Thursday on nobond. Court records did not listan attorney.

Police: Texas cop slaintrying to protect childARLINGTON — A rookie po-

lice officer responding to a callin suburban Dallas was shot todeath trying to protect an 11-year-old girl from her mother’sgun-wielding ex-boyfriend, aspokeswoman said Wednesday.

Tiara Ellis Richard said Ar-lington officer Jillian MichelleSmith, 24, was shot by BarnesSamuel Nettles on Tuesday nightas she sought to shield the girlfrom the man in the apartmentof Kimberly Deshay Carter, 29.

Texas, EPA fight overregulations grows fierceHOUSTON — A tit-for-tat be-

tween Texas and U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency overhow to regulate pollution hasgrown fierce in recent months,allowing some plants and refin-eries to spew more toxic wasteinto the air, streams and lakesthan what is federally acceptable.

— Compiled from AP reports

Obama announces 6recess appointments

HONOLULU — President Ba-rack Obama bypassed the SenateWednesday to make six recessappointments, including a depu-ty attorney general whose linksto the insurance giant AmericanInternational Group had stalledhis confirmation.

Obama first nominated JamesCole to the No. 2 Justice Depart-ment post in May.

Sister’s kidney donationcondition of Miss. parole

JACKSON, Miss. — For 16years, sisters Jamie and GladysScott have been behind bars fortheir part in an $11 armed rob-bery. To share freedom, theymust also share a kidney.

The governor suspended thesisters’ life sentences on Wednes-day, but Gladys Scott’s release iscontingent on her giving a kid-ney to Jamie, her sister.

Stocks down slightly asinvestors lock in gainsNEW YORK — Stocks dipped

Thursday as investors locked inprofits at the end of the year.

While U.S. markets fell slight-ly, stocks are set to end the yearon an upbeat note: The S&P 500index and the Dow Jones indus-trial average are both up 14 per-cent after dividends thanks tobig corporate profits.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

Friends and family members attempt to move a car driven by Oscar Lopez afterhe skidded off the Catalina Highway on a turn in the mountains northeast of Tuc-son, Ariz. on Wednesday, as a winter storm moved through causing icy roads.

Photo by David Sanders/Arizona Daily Star | AP

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011 Zlocal PAGE 3A

Beginning Saturday,more than 40 million se-niors who have Medicare,including 98,000 in the localcongressional district, willreceive free preventive careservices, such as mammo-grams and colonoscopies.

They will also receive sig-nificant savings by gettingan annual wellness visitwithout copayments, coin-surance or deductibles. Theten-year process of eliminat-ing the “donut hole” cover-age gap will begin as well.

Key provisionsU.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar,

D-Laredo, highlighted thekey health care reform pro-visions Wednesday at anews conference at theGateway CommunityHealth Center, which hasabout 30,000 patients.

Cuellar said the reform,passed by Congress inMarch, will expand cover-age to 5.9 million Texans.That includes 1.4 millionchildren and 202,500 unin-sured individuals in hiscongressional district. Hisdistrict includes Zapata and11 other counties in South

Texas. It’s the third mostuninsured congressionaldistrict in Texas and the10th most in the nation.

“These common sense re-forms will protect Ameri-cans who have coverageand deliver coverage tothose who don’t,” he statedin a news release. “Quality,affordable health care willbe accessible to all Ameri-cans and these landmark in-surance reforms will sus-tain the quality of Ameri-ca’s health care for thefuture.”

Cuellar, who was joinedby health care officialsWednesday at the news con-ference, described some ofthe other provisions thatwill take effect Jan. 1.

Effective Jan. 1Among them: “Fifty-per-

cent discounts for seniorswith high prescription drugcosts and requiring insur-ance companies to spendmore on medical care andless on executive pay andprofits.”

Under the health care re-form, the millions of se-niors whose drug costs “areso high that they end up inthe Medicare Rx drug ‘do-nut hole’ coverage gap, will

begin getting a 50-percentdiscount on brand-namedrugs in the donut hole,”the news release stated.

Increasing discountsDiscounts will increase

until the donut hole is elim-inated by 2020. The news re-lease stated that closing thedonut hole will help 5,800seniors in Cuellar’s congres-sional district who “havebeen forced to pay the fullcost of their prescriptiondrugs under Medicare.”

Some of the health carereform provisions alreadyin effect include the “pa-tient’s bill of rights,” whichbans all health plans fromdropping people when theyget ill, no discriminationagainst children with pre-existing conditions and al-lowing young adults to stayon their parents’ plans untilthey turn 26.

For more information,visit healthcare.gov.

(Nick Georgiou may bereached at 728-2582 or ngeor-giou@lmtonline.com)

Cuellar: Thousands will get free services

By NICK GEORGIOU THE ZAPATA TIMES

ASSAULTDeputies responded to an

assault call at 4:47 p.m. Dec. 23 inthe intersection of 10th Street andVilla Avenue. A woman told offi-cials that someone she knows as-saulted her.

STRIKING A FIXTUREOrlando Garza, 29, was ar-

rested in the early hours of Dec.24 in Romeo T. Flores Park, nearthe corner of First Avenue and Del-mar Street. The man was chargedwith striking a chain link fence andtaken to Zapata Regional Jail.

THEFTDeputies responded to a

theft call at 11:20 p.m. Monday inthe 1400 block of Jackson Street.

The complainant told deputies hesaw someone trying to steal alawnmower from his property.

TERRORISTIC THREATDeputies responded to a call

at 1:55 p.m. Dec. 25 in the 1600block of Kennedy Street. The com-plainant said a man he knows isharassing a friend with threateningtext messages and voicemails.

THE BLOTTER

CHRISTMAS ANGELS

Courtesy photo

The Christmas Angels from Four Seasons visit Villarreal Elementary and give the children gifts. Toshow their appreciation, Villarreal Elementary treated the residence of Four Seasons to tamales andsweet bread. Pictured is Alondra Guerrero with a blanket given by the Muller Family.

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

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

Profound thanks aredue televangelistPat Robertson for

stating so clearly whatmany of us have beenscreaming in the wilder-ness for years — that thecriminalization of mari-juana is a plague onyoung people.

May he lend courageto politicians who knowbetter but won’t do theright thing for fear ofseeming “soft” on drugs.

“We’re locking up peo-ple who take a couple ofpuffs of marijuana, andthe next thing theyknow, they’ve got 10years,” Robertson saidon his Christian Broad-casting Network show,“The 700 Club.”

These are mandatorysentences, he adds, thatabsurd laws force onjudges.

Not all drugscreated equal

Robertson does notcall for legalization of alldrugs, as do many disil-lusioned law enforcers,judges and prominenteconomists of all politi-cal stripes.

He does say that crimi-nalizing the possessionof small amounts of potis “costing us a fortune,and it’s ruining youngpeople.”

Where are the foes ofbig government in this?

They should note thatthe federal Drug Enforce-ment Administration’sbudget has more thanquadrupled over the dec-ade to $2.6 billion —without making a dentin the quantity of illegaldrugs sold in this coun-try. (The narcotics,meanwhile, are more po-tent than ever.)

DEA bureaucracyBut the DEA bureau-

crats know how to ex-pand a mandate.

The agency now oper-ates 86 offices in 63 coun-tries and runs a shadowState Department that attimes mucks up Ameri-can diplomacy. It em-ploys nearly 11,000 peo-ple.

And the DEA is butone expense in the drugwar. Add in the costs oflocal law enforcement toround up suspects,courts to prosecute themand jails to hold them,and the war on drugsweighs in at about $50billion a year. States andmunicipalities bear mostof the costs.

Possible increase inrevenue

Of course, these num-bers don’t take into ac-count the lost tax reve-nue that legalizing thesedrugs could generate.

Harvard economistJeffrey Miron estimatesthat taxing marijuana

like tobacco and alcoholcould add $6.4 billion ayear to state and localtreasuries.

If drugs were legal-ized, narco-terrorists (in-cluding the Taliban)would lose their chiefsource of funds, druggangs would go out ofbusiness, and the drug-fueled bloodbath nowtormenting Mexicowould end.

Border security wouldvastly tighten as drugtraffic dried up.

Ending the war hassupport

Ending the war ondrugs has support acrossthe political spectrum.Many on the left regardAmerica’s drug laws asan assault on personalfreedom and racist intheir application.

Prominent voices onthe right — for example,William F. Buckley andMilton Friedman — longago declared the war ondrugs simply a dismalfailure.

War on drugs ‘adisaster’

This month, Britain’sformer drug czar and de-fense secretary, BobAinsworth, declared thatthe war on drugs is“nothing short of a disas-ter” and called for gov-ernment regulation ofdrug manufacturing andsales.

“We must take thetrade away from orga-nized criminals andhand it to the control ofdoctors and pharma-cists,” he said.

Not an advocate fordrug use

No one here is advo-cating drug use.

I have never touchedhard drugs, but the“war” against them lostits romance the day thata drug addict pointed aknife at my gut, demand-ing money for a fix thatshould have cost him nomore than a head of cel-ery.

Politicians arehypocrites

Then there’s the rankhypocrisy. President Oba-ma admits to having“tried” cocaine, andPresident George W.Bush all but did, refus-ing to answer questionsabout his previous druguse.

Yet we still ruin thelives of teenagers caughtusing or dealing in farless dangerous marijua-na.

The injustice of this iswhat aroused Pat Robert-son. A social conserva-tive has now filled a gapin the anti-drug-war line-up of liberals, economicconservatives and liber-tarians. And we welcomehim.

COLUMN

New soldiersin drug war

By FROMA HARROP PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

To be published, lettersmust include the writer’sfirst and last names aswell as a phone numberto verify identity. Thephone number IS NOTpublished; it is used solelyto verify identity and toclarify content, if neces-sary. Identity of the letterwriter must be verifiedbefore publication.

We want to assure our

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

Letters are edited forstyle, grammar, lengthand civility. No name-call-ing or gratuitous abuse isallowed.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICYDOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

The Obama adminis-tration has shiedaway from issues in-

volving the regulation ofguns. Now comes wordfrom The WashingtonPost’s James V. Grimaldiand Sari Horwitz that theJustice Department is ad-vancing a plan to stem theflow of semiautomatic ri-fles to violence-plaguedMexico. It’s about time.

Over the past threeyears, some 30,000 peoplehave been gunned down inMexico in attacks fueledby drug cartels. Militaryand law enforcement offi-cers there have seizedsome 60,000 weapons thatwere used in these crimesand traced to the UnitedStates. Mexican President

Felipe Calderon has plead-ed with U.S. officials tostep up enforcement ofgun laws and to reinstatethe assault-weapons ban.Doing so would be goodpolicy but would trigger afierce fight. For the mo-ment, the administrationhas something much moremodest in mind.

As The Post reports, theBureau of Alcohol, Tobac-co, Firearms and Explo-sives (ATF) plans to re-quire some 8,500 gun deal-ers along the Southwestborder to alert the agencywhen they sell “within fiveconsecutive business daystwo or more semiautomat-ic rifles greater than 0.22caliber with detachablemagazines” to the same in-dividual. The administra-tion will notify dealers

about this requirementthrough “demand letters,”which were created in 2000largely to extract informa-tion from dealers whowere not complying fullywith federal reportingrules. The ATF programwould lapse after sixmonths unless other ac-tion is taken.

Mayors Against IllegalGuns last year urged theuse of demand letters butonly for dealers who havesold a significant numberof weapons traced tocrimes. That plan wouldbe worth considering if theATF proposal proves un-workable.

When reports of its plansurfaced, the administra-tion came under immedi-ate attack from the gunrights lobby. The National

Shooting Sports Founda-tion, the firearms industrytrade association, arguedthat the administrationlacked the legal authorityto demand data on riflesand shotguns. It has apoint: While Congress au-thorized the ATF to collectinformation on handgunsales, it declined to extendthe requirement to longguns. A court is likely tobe asked to decide whetherdemand letters may beused to shake loose this in-formation.

Regardless of the out-come, the administrationshould continue to look forlawful ways to dam thecurrent of illegal guns,particularly those that arehelping to destabilizeAmerica’s neighbor to thesouth.

EDITORIAL

Stopping the gun flowTHE WASHINGTON POST

Despite the lame-duckdefeat of a modestimmigration reform

known as the Dream Act,both President Obama andMajority Leader Harry M.Reid, D-Nev., said they arenot giving up on improvingthe nation’s immigrationlaws. We applaud their per-sistence and hope progressis possible — if not forsomething “comprehen-sive,” as was the goal in thepast Congress, then for in-cremental change.

The recession and highunemployment certainlyclouded the prospects forreform. Not coincidentally,the midterm elections ele-vated both in Washingtonand state capitals a numberof politicians who are notmuch open to compromise.Mr. Obama has stepped updeportations and companyaudits above Bush adminis-tration levels, yet these pol-iticians continue to attack

the administration for itssupposed softness on the is-sue. Calls to “close the bor-der” before any other re-form can be considered canhardly be taken seriously,given how many resourcesare now being devoted toborder control.

In a handful of Southernand Western states, Repub-lican governors and law-makers are vowing to repli-cate Arizona’s harshly nati-vist law or go even furtherwith bills that would out-law the presence of undocu-mented immigrants or re-quire police to screen sus-pects for immigrationstatus — or both. The as-sumption underlying suchlegislation is that the 11million illegal immigrantsin this country, includingthe 7 million who hold jobs,can and should be deporteden masse.

In fact, deportation onsuch a scale would be im-practical and economicallyself-defeating. According to

polling data, it would alsobe broadly unpopular. Evenamong Americans whodon’t depend directly on il-legal immigrants as asource of unskilled labor —which many do — there islittle appetite for wrench-ing millions of undocu-mented families, includingmany with roots, relativesand children in America,from their communitiesand shoving them acrossthe border.

In Congress, Rep. SteveKing, an Iowa Republicanwho is likely to chair thesubcommittee dealing di-rectly with immigration,wants to end automatic or“birthright” citizenship forchildren born in the UnitedStates, which has been en-shrined in U.S. law sincethe 14th Amendment’sadoption in 1868. Mr. King’sproposal, which targetschildren of illegal immi-grants, is unlikely to carryboth houses of Congress,and in any event it would

be vetoed by Mr. Obama. Impasse also seems like-

ly in efforts to shape com-prehensive reform thatwould crack down on em-ployers who hire undocu-mented workers while pro-viding a steady supply ofguest workers, attractingthe skilled workers thecountry needs and offeringa path to citizenship for il-legal immigrants alreadyhere.

But particular pieces ofimmigration reform mightstill have bipartisan appeal.One such element is thehistorical shortage of visasfor foreign workers withspecial skills and advanceddegrees. Although demandeased somewhat this yeardue to the recession, andthere are legitimate con-cerns about abuses in thesystem, the standing quo-tas in those categories —amounting to just 85,000available visas per year —have been severely inade-quate in recent years.

COLUMN

Immigration impasse up aheadTHE WASHINGTON POST

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011 Zentertainment PAGE 5A

Cirque du Soleil’s‘Alegría’ tix available

Cirque du Soleil will pre-sent seven performances of“Alegría” at the Laredo En-ergy Arena in February.

“Alegría” will feature aninternational cast of 55 per-formers and musiciansfrom 17 countries and willshowcase breathtakingacrobatics, including the“Synchro Trapeze” and“Aerial High Bars.”

The performances arescheduled between Wednes-day, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb.6.

Prices are $35 to $79 foradults, $28 to $64 for chil-dren 12 and under, and$31.50 to $67.50 for militarypersonnel and students.

Premium seats are $95 to$99 for adults, $76 to $80 forchildren under 12, and$85.50 for students and mil-itary. They are availablevia Ticketmaster and theLEA box office.

— The Zapata Times

COMING UP

The Laredo EnergyArena will kick off 2011with a big bang, present-ing a mega concert anddance on the first day ofthe year.

Often called a “legend-ary norteño band,” Zapa-ta’s Intocable will sharethe arena stage with an-other big regional act,Duelo, a band that hailsfrom Roma.

Opening duties havebeen assigned to Laredo’sown Adrián Perez y Ori-gen.

The concert and danceis scheduled to start 8p.m. tonight.

Intocable, one of Norte-ño music’s biggest acts,was born in the early1990s in Zapata, about 45miles south of here.

It all started with twokids, Ricky Muñoz (vocalsand accordion) and RenéMartinez (drums), who re-hearsed every day withdreams of reaching suc-cess. Other members areSergio Serna, Félix Sali-nas, Juan Hernández,Johnny Lee Rosas and Da-niel Sánchez.

Fifteen years and 13 al-bums later, Intocable hascome a long way. Amongthe band’s hit singles are“Estás Que Te Pelas,”“Enséñame A Olvidarte,”“El Poder De Tus Manos,”

“Coqueta,” “Y Todo ParaQué,” “Eres Mi Droga,””Fuerte No Soy” and “TuAdiós No Mata.”

Those tracks haveearned the group numer-ous awards, from distinctorganizations includingthe Grammy Awards, La-tin Grammy Awards, Uni-visión’s Premio Lo Nues-tro and Premios Juven-tud, Furia Musical, OyeAwards, and, of course,the Tejano Music Awards.

Their popularityspreads across the globe,as is evident in their re-cord sellouts. For in-stance, Intocable playedto 140,000 people in theMexico City Zócalo, to74,000 at Reliant Stadiumin Houston and to 55,000in Guadalajara’s JaliscoStadium.

Duelo, too

Duelo, another re-knowned Norteño group,will be playing before In-tocable.

Founded by singer,songwriter, bassist andproducer Oscar Iván Tre-viño and accordionist Di-mas López, Duelo’s otherfour members are Chris-tian Rivera, Jose LuisAyala Jr., Mario Peñaand, Mauricio Cano.

Grupo Duelo, as it is al-so known, was formed inthe late 1990s in Roma.The band’s discography

includes: “Duelo Norteño1,2,3,” released in 1999;“El Amor No Acaba”(2002); “Desde Hoy” (2003);“Para Sobrevivir” (2004);“En el Area de Sueños”(2005); “Relaciones Con-flictivas” (2006); “En LasManos de un Angel”(2007); “Historia de Valen-tines” (2008); “NecesitoMas de Ti” (2009); and“Solamente Tu” (2010), allof which have spawnedmultiple hit singles.

Tickets start at $25,plus fees, and are availa-ble at all Ticketmaster lo-cations, including the are-na box office. The event is

being presented by MillerLite and Garza Entertain-ment.

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

New Year’s dance with Intocable

Zapata’s Intocable will headline a concert/dance tonight at the Laredo Energy Arena. Tickets start at $25 and are still available.

Express-News file photo

Event will featureRoma’s Duelo and

Laredo’s AdrianPerez y Origen

THE ZAPATA TIMES

SÁBADO 1 DE ENEROAVISO LAREDO: La ruta re-

gular de El Metro y el servicio ElLift tendrán su servicio con el hora-rio de domingo, debido a ser díaprimero del año.

LAREDO: Hoy a las 8 p.m. sepresentan en concierto Intocable,Duelo, así como Adrian Perez y Ori-gen, durante el baile de Fin de Añoen la Laredo Energy Arena. Los pre-cios varían desde 25 dólares hasta450 dólares, con mesa o sin mesaincluida.

LUNES 3 DE ENEROAVISO LAREDO: A partir de

hoy y hasta el 21 de enero, en ho-rario de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m., se realiza-rán trabajos para reemplazo de tu-bería de agua de 8” por Stewart St.desde Tapeyste Ave. hasta Hen-dricks Ave. Esta obra causará incon-venciencia vial temporalmente peroel servicio de agua no será inte-rrumpido.

MARTES 4 DE ENEROLAREDO: El grupo de apoyo

Alzheimer se reunirá hoy a las 7p.m. en la sala 2, edificio B del La-redo Medical Center. El grupo deapoyo es para familiares y cuidado-res de alguien que padezca de Al-zheimer.

JUEVES 6 DE ENEROLAREDO: Texas A&M Interna-

tional University llevará a cabo unaSesión Informativa de su Programade Certificación Alternativa en elaula 104 de Bullock Hall. Llame aIdinia Dominguez al 326-3098 ó es-criba a idominguez@tamiu.edu paramás información.

VIERNES 7 DE ENEROLAREDO: El Laredo Early Co-

llege High School tendrá una cam-paña para donación de sangre de 9a.m. a 2 p.m. en TAMIU. Más infor-mación en el 1-800-292-5534.

Hoy se realizará una ventade libros desde las 8:30 a.m. hastala 1 p.m. en la Widener Room de laFirst United Methodist Church. Elpúblico en general es invitado. Laentrada es gratuita.

MARTES 11 DE ENEROLAREDO: LB Johnson High

School tendrá una campaña paradonación de sangre de 9:30 a.m. a4 p.m. en el 5626 Cielito Lindo.

LAREDO: Hal’s Landing iniciahoy el segundo año de “una cam-paña de recaudación de fondos almes” en beneficio del South TexasFood Bank (6510 Arena Road), de 7p.m. a la medianoche. La músicaestará a cargo de Jus-B-Cuz. La en-trada general es de 10 dólares porpersona. Adquiera sus boletos lla-mando al (956) 726-3120 ó (956)324-2432.

MIÉRCOLES 12 DE ENEROLAREDO: Martin High School

tendrá una campaña para donaciónde sangre de 9 a.m. a 4:30 p.m. enel 2002 San Bernardo. Más infor-mación en el 1-800-292-5534.

JUEVES 13 DE ENEROLAREDO: Martin High School

tendrá una campaña para donaciónde sangre de 9 a.m. a 4:30 p.m. enel 2002 San Bernardo. Más infor-mación en el 1-800-292-5534.

VIERNES 14 DE ENEROLAREDO: Doctor’s Hospital

tendrá una campaña para donaciónde sangre de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. enel 10700 McPherson Ave. Más infor-mación en el 1-800-292-5534.

LUNES 17 DE ENEROLAREDO: Las oficinas de TA-

MIU estarán cerradas debido al fe-riado de Martin Luther King Jr. day.

JUEVES 20 DE ENEROLAREDO: Nixon High School

tendrá una campaña para donaciónde sangre de 9 a.m. a 3:30 p.m. enel 2000 Plum. Más información enel 1-800-292-5534.

JUEVES 27 DE ENEROLAREDO: Los Harlem Globe-

trotters se presentan hoy a las 4p.m. y 7 p.m. en la Laredo EnergyArena. Adquiera sus boletos en lataquilla de LEA.

SÁBADO 29 DE ENEROLAREDO: Hoy es el Regreso

de Emilio Navaira, en Concierto, enla laredo Energy Arena, a las 8 p.m.Más información en el 523-7736.

Agendaen Breve

PÁGINA 6A Zfrontera SÁBADO 1 DE ENERO DE 2011

Durante la última semanacomo Gobernador de Ta-maulipas, Eugenio Her-

nández Flores decidió que su úl-timo adiós lo daría recorriendola frontera. Durante tres días re-corrió Miguel Alemán, CiudadMier, Nuevo Laredo y Reynosa,donde hizo entrega de obras yhabló de la inseguridad.

“La gente de todo Tamaulipases más fuerte y grande que susdesafíos, por más difíciles queparezcan”, dijo Hernández en Ci-udad Mier. “Así lo demostramosantes y así lo haremos ahora”.

Miguel AlemánEn esta ciudad fue inaugurado

“Edificio de Docencia I” de laUniversidad Politécnica de la Re-gión Ribereña en el Poblado LosGuerra, así como las instala-ciones de un nuevo Tamul “Lu-gar de Encuentro”.

“Vivimos tiempos de grandestransformaciones que nos plan-tean retos que son cada día másgrandes y complejos, de tal for-ma que responder a ellos, nos ex-ige estar mejor preparados”, dijoHernández.

Fue en el Poblado Los Guerra,de Miguel Alemán, informó quedurante los seis años de su ad-minsitración fueron invertidos700 millones de pesos en la edu-cación superior.

En cuanto al Tamul, se tratade un lugar donde las familiascontarán con nuevos espacios pa-ra la recreación, el deporte y elesparcimiento.

Ciudad MierEl Gobierno de Tamaulipas hi-

zo un acuerdo con el gobiernomunicipal de esta ciudad hace

poco más de 25 días, al regresaren su último recorrido, Hernán-dez hizo entrega de recursos pormás de tres millones de pesos pa-ra la rehabilitación de viviendas,de la planta potabilizadora, en-trega de enseres domésticos yapoyos emergentes por la contin-gencia.

“Mier no está solo, nunca loha estado en su anhelo de reacti-var la economía, garantizar laseguridad y volver a la normali-dad lo más pronto posible”, dijoHernández. “No hemos bajado laguardia en este tema”.

Reunido con familias en la pla-za principal agregó “Juntos cre-cimos, superamos desafíos y sali-mos adelante. Así lo demostra-mos ante la crisis que nos golpeópor más de dos años y así lo esta-mos demostrando hoy, en que laescalada de violencia que viveMéxico ha tomado matices preo-cupantes de los que no hemosquedado exentos”.

Hernández reiteró que esperael operativo noreste sea perma-nente para favorecer a la regióny responder a los anhelos por elorden y la integridad de sus co-munidades.

Nuevo LaredoAl hacer entrega de un pa-

quete de obras, dijo que las mis-mas permitirán incorporar a losneolaredenses a mejores nivelesde bienestar y de progreso.

Fueron inauguradas las insta-laciones del nuevo Centro de Re-habilitación Integral (CRI), elAbue GYM, las obras del boule-vard Colosio Norponiente y en elFraccionamiento “El Progreso”hizo entrega de 401 cartas deasignación de viviendas.

Sobre el Colosio Norponiente,Hernández dijo que se tuvo unainversión superior a los 135 mil-lones de pesos y que permitirá

dar mayor fluidez al tráfico devehículos de carga, así como con-tar con una conexión eficienteentre los puentes internacion-ales.

ReynosaEn esta ciudad Hernández in-

auguró un paquete de obras deinfraestructura social, con unainversión superior a los 500 mil-lones de pesos.

Se puso en marcha las opera-ciones de la planta de tratamien-to de aguas residuales númerodos, la cual permitirá solucionarel problema de contaminación dela laguna La Escondida.

Fueron inauguradas las obras

del paso superior vehicular “Bi-centenario” que permitirá agili-zar el tráfico en el libramientoMonterrey-Matamoros, con laavenida Río Purificación.

En la Laguna La Escondida seinauguró la primera etapa de unCentro Deportivo de Alto Rendi-miento y una pista atlética en lasinstalaciones de la Unidad De-portiva Solidaridad.

Finalmente, en el Parque In-dustrial Reynosa, se inauguraronlas obras de pavimentación de laavenida “Mike Allen” en la Bre-cha E-99, que permitirá agilizarel tráfico de unidades de cargahacia el puente internacionalReynosa - Pharr.

(Con información del Gobiernode Tamaulipas)

CONCLUYE GOBIERNO 2005-2010

Dicen adiós conentrega de obras

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Eugenio Hernández Flores, en su cargo de Gobernador de Tamaulipas, visitó Ciu-dad Mier donde cumplió la promesa de entrega de recursos para la recuperacióndel Pueblo Mágico.

Fotos de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

La ampliación de la Universidad Politécnica en MIguel Alemán fue una de la inau-guraciones realizadas por el Gobierno de Tamaulipas la semana pasada.

NUEVO LAREDO — El Gobierno del Tamauli-pas arremetió contra el Gobierno Federal, a ma-nos del Partido Acción Nacional, acusándolo deno tener brújula, de tener al país emproblemado,sin seguridad ni empleo.

En una gira de trabajo por esta ciudad, el Go-bernador Eugenio Hernández Flores aseguró queMéxico está incendiado por la actividad criminaly eso lo observa en los reportes de los medios decomunicación de “como se ve un México ensan-grentado sin una solución futura”.

“Los ciudadanos no desean mayor violencia”,aseguró en entrevista con medios de comunica-ción.

El viernes a la medianoche Hernández con-cluyó su gestión de seis años como Gobernador yhoy entrega el poder a Egidio Torre Cantú, delPartido Revolucionario Institucional, quien tomóla candidatura y triunfó tras el homicidio de suhermano Rodolfo a mediados de año.

“Hemos visto y Ustedes lo han padecido que elpaís no transita bien por la inseguridad y desem-pleo”, dijo Hernández. “Las familias buscan tran-quilidad y desean mejores momentos”.

Recalcó que no hay brújula ni un buen gobier-no federal.

En cuanto a seguridad en Tamaulipas admitióque el crimen organizado ha sido un grave prob-lema para la entidad, pero aseguró que se han leg-islado leyes que serán mas efectivas y podrán sta-tus de seguridad al futuro.

“Tenemos que llegar a ser un gobierno conmás respuestas en seguridad”, dijo Hernandez.“No se trata de disculpas ahora debemos recom-poner el estado de cosas del pasado”.

Hernández dijo sentirse orgulloso de su gestióny del trabajo desarrollado, de haber estado en con-tacto directo con la gente y de haber recorrido los43 municipios de Tamaulipas, donde hizo variosnuevos amigos.

“Me voy a tomar varias semanas de vacacionescon mi familia. Se las debo”, dijo Hernández. “Pe-ro a mi regreso me integraré a las filas del Parti-do Revolucionario Institucional (donde) trabajare-mos para recuperar la Presidencia (de la Repúbli-ca)”.

Hernández se unirá al grupo de trabajo del ac-tual Gobernador de Coahuila Humberto Moreira,uno de los favoritos para representar al PRI en laselecciones del 2012.

“Queremos que el pueblo nos de una oportuni-dad para darle rumbo y certidumbre”, dijo Her-nández.

Agregó que el Partido Acción Nacional en losdiez años de gobierno no ha sabido conducir alpaís, lo ha acorralado y llevado al caos.

Concluyó diciendo que la nueva generación depriístas desea armar equipo de un nuevo PRI,donde estén unidos juventud y experiencia paradarle el rumbo a la nación.

Estado hacecrítica final

POR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOVTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Como estaba previsto, el jueves fuedada a conocer la lista de funcionariosque integrarán el gabinete del nuevo go-bierno de Tamaulipas, que inicia su la-bor el día de hoy.

El Gobernador Electo Egidio TorreCantú toma protesta hoy a las 12:45 p.m.en Ciudad Victoria.

Los funcionarios en los principalescargos, según lo anunció Torre, son:

Secretario general de gobierno: JaimeMorelos Canseco; Secretario de Seguri-dad Pública, Ubaldo Ayala Tinoco; Proc-urador General de Justicia, Bolívar Her-nández Garza.

Secretaria de Desarrollo Social: Dino-rah Blanca Guerra Garza; Secretario deEducación: Diódoro Guerra Rodríguez;Secretario de Salud: Norberto TreviñoGarcía Manzo; Secretario de Finanzas:Alfredo González Fernández; Adminis-tración: Jorge Ábrego Adame; Contralo-ría Gubernamental: Gilda Cavazos Llit-eras; Secretaria de Desarrollo Económi-co: Mónica González; Secretario delTrabajo: Raúl César González García;Director Estatal del DIF: Gabriel de laGarza.

En Obras Públicas: Manuel RodríguezMorales; Secretario de Desarrollo Urba-no y Medio Ambiente: Homero de laGarza Tamez; Secretario de DesarrolloRural: Jorge Reyes Moreno; Presidentedel Instituto Tamaulipeco del Deporte:Enrique de la Garza Ferrer; Instituto Ta-maulipeco para la Cultura y las Artes:Libertad García Cabriales.

Por otra parte, fue a mediados de di-

ciembre cuando Torre Cantú presentó asu equipo de Comunicación Social antedueños y concesionariso de medios in-formatios de todo el estado.

Como Coordinador fue presentadoGuillermo Martínez quien dijo que laestrategia preparada deberá sustentarseen tres prioridades: “conocimiento delsistema de medios, la relación armónicacon sus actores y la innovación en lamanera de informar al ciudadano”.

Torre Cantú reconoció que los mediosinformativos constituyen el rostro de ungobierno hacia la sociedad.

“No concibo el gobernar sin comuni-car, ni desarrollaré esta función sin es-cuchar lo que los tamaulipecos tienenque decir”, dijo él.

También invitó a los representantesde los medios de comunicación a traba-jar unidos con el gobierno estatal parasacar adelante a Tamaulipas.

Egidio Torre Cantú, quien hoy toma el cargo como Gobernador de Tamaulipas, habla durante unareunión con dueños y concesionarios de medios de comunicación de Tamaulipas, a mediados de di-ciembre en Ciudad Victoria. Torre Cantú dio a conocer con anticipación la lista de su gabinete paralos próximos seis años.

Foto de cortesía

Torre anuncia cargosTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

“No concibo el gobernarsin comunicar, nidesarrollaré estafunción sin escuchar loque los tamaulipecostienen que decir”.EGIDIO TORRE CANTÚ, GOBERNADORTAMAULIPAS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

ZAPATA, TEXAS — Eu-sebia Arredondo, 78,passed away Wednesday,Dec. 22, 2010, at FalconLake Nursing Home in Za-pata, Texas.

Ms. Arredondo is pre-ceded in death by her hus-band Andres Arredondo;parents Federico (MariaDel Refugio) Olivares;brothers Brigido Olivares,Adan Olivares and Rosen-do Olivares; and sistersDora Olga (Ramon) Oli-vares and Reyes Domin-guez.

Ms. Arredondo is sur-vived by her brother Ru-maldo Olivares; sisters-in-law Simona Olivares andDominga Olivares; and bynumerous nephews, niec-es, other relatives andmany friends.

Pallbearers were RafaelArambula, Robert Arre-dondo, Juan Eloy Alvara-do, Hector Abel Solis, Fe-derico Olivares, Roel Vil-larreal, Jr. GeorgeGonzalez Jr. and Paul Yea-gley.

Visitation hours wereheld Thursday, Dec. 23,2010, from noon to 2:30

p.m. with a rosary at 1p.m. at Rose Garden Fu-neral Home.

The funeral processiondeparted at 2:30 p.m. for a3 p.m. funeral Mass atNuestra Señora Del Refu-gio in San Ygnacio, Texas.Committal services fol-lowed at Panteon Del Pu-eblo.

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

Funeral arrangementswere under the directionof Rose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonza-lez, funeral director, 2102HWY 83 Zapata, TX.

Eusebia Arredondo

ZAPATA, TEXAS — Ba-by Mizel Anahi Navarro, 2months, passed away Dec.28, 2010, at Methodist Chil-dren’s Hospital in San An-tonio, Texas.

Visitation hours wereheld Thursday, Dec. 30,2010, from 1 p.m. to 3:30p.m. at Rose Garden Funer-al Home.

A graveside service washeld at 4 p.m. at ZapataCounty Cemetery.

Condolences may be sentto the family at www.rose-gardenfuneralhome.com.

Funeral arrangementswere under the direction of

Rose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonzalez,funeral director, 2102 HWY83 Zapata, TX.

Mizel Anahi Navarro

Zapata, Texas, where heraised many different ani-mals. He will be greatlymissed by all his family andfriends.

Honorary pallbearerswere Jose Refugio RamirezJr., Armando Ramirez andMario M. Vidaurri.

Pallbearers were MarioM. Vidaurri Jr., Jose RoelVidaurri, Fernando Bernar-

ZAPATA, TEXAS — Ro-berto “El Gancho” Ramirez,58, passed away Sunday,Dec. 26, 2010, at Doctor’sHospital in Laredo, Texas.

Mr. Ramirez is precededin death by his parents JoseRefugio Ramirez and AdelaT. Ramirez.

Mr. Ramirez is survivedby his wife Maria Concep-cion Ramirez; son RobertoJr. (Maria De La Luz) Rami-rez; daughter ElizabethAnn (David) Guevara;brothers Jose Refugio Jr.(Nora) Ramirez and Ar-mando (Celia) Ramirez; sis-ter Graciela (Mario) Vidaur-ri; and by numerous neph-ews, nieces and manyfriends.

Mr. Ramirez owned andoperated Ramirez Key Ser-vice in Laredo for over 20years. Mr. Ramirez retiredand lived on his ranch in

dini Jr., Juan Miguel Ber-nardini, Rene David Ber-nardini and Roberto Rami-rez Jr.

Visitation hours wereheld Wednesday, Dec. 29,2010, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.with a rosary at 7 p.m. atRose Garden FuneralHome.

The funeral processiondeparted Thursday, Dec. 30,2010, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10a.m. funeral Mass at OurLady of Lourdes CatholicChurch. Committal servicesfollowed at Zapata CountyCemetery.

Condolences may be sentto the family at www.rose-gardenfuneralhome.com.

Funeral arrangementswere under the direction ofRose Garden FuneralHome, Daniel A. Gonzalez,funeral director, 2102 HWY83 Zapata, TX.

Roberto “El Gancho” Ramirez

NEW YORK — Di-recTV satellite subscrib-ers around the countrywill continue to receivenetwork TV stationsowned by Hearst Corp.after the two companiesreached a new deal overthe fees that DirecTVpays the broadcastingcompany to carry sta-tions on its lineup.

The original dealwould have expired atmidnight Friday, andsubscribers in Boston,Pittsburgh, Baltimoreand other markets couldhave lost Hearst-ownedstations on DirecTV.Hearst owns 29 local TVstations.

Many of these negotia-tions over fees have beengoing down to the wirerecently as broadcasterslook to tap a secondsource of revenue out-side of selling commer-cial time. Some disputeshave even extended pastthe expiration of previ-ous deals, leaving cableand satellite subscriberswithout channels fordays, even weeks.

Sinclair BroadcastGroup is wrangling withTime Warner Cable Inc.over the same issue. If adeal isn’t reached bymidnight Friday, 33 sta-tions could go dark forTime Warner customers.

The stakes in thesecases can be big forsports fans. Potentiallyaffected in the Sinclair-Time Warner dispute isthe ABC broadcast ofSaturday’s OutbackBowl.

Hearst,DirecTV

reach dealon fees

ASSOCIATED PRESS

March.Fish are spawning and

are filled with eggs thistime of year, said JamesBendele, co-owner of Fal-con Lake Tackle.

Since the lakes in thenorthern states are frozen,people are making theirway to Zapata’s FalconLake, Bendele added.

“People are out therecatching fish with no grief,no problems, no troubleanywhere,” said Tom Ben-dele, co-owner of FalconLake Tackle. “There areprobably about 40 boats inthe water out there today.”

The lake is starting todrop to normal levels andfish are getting caught indifferent areas of the lake,James Bendele added.

“Today was one of thebusier days in months,”James Bendele said. “Peo-ple have the week off, sothey are here to kick offthe spawning season andwe’ll continue to see morethe next few months thatwe haven’t seen inmonths.”

As other lake patronslaunched their boats, anAir Force disabled veteran,Daniel Peña, and son Mi-guel Peña fished from thebanks, relaxing and takingin the bright sun and all

the smells around them.“I decided to accompany

my dad and enjoy the tran-quility instead of stayinghome watching TV,” Mi-guel Peña said. “It’s realbeautiful out here.”

“My father instilled thefishing bug in us, so itcalls out to you, ‘Let’s gofishing,’ ” Miguel Peñaadded.

At 77, Daniel Peñaspends most his days bythe lake to pass the time,he said.

“This is a pastime forme because if I reallywanted fish I would go toH-E-B,” he said. “I justwant to have a good time.”

They sat for hours bythe water watching fisher-man on boats bring intheir large bass and takingpictures with them, Mi-guel Peña said.

Besides the ranchers,farmers, and oil fields, Za-

pata is a tourist town be-cause of Falcon Lake, Mi-guel Peña said.

Many fishing tourna-ments are held yearly inZapata County and a fewincidents blown out of pro-portion drove all the tour-ists away, Miguel Peñaadded.

“Hotels are empty andtourism is hurting,” Mi-guel Peña said.

Miguel Peña admittedhe often fished in FalconLake with friends from La-redo and they are nowafraid to visit because ofthe attacks on boaters byMexican cartel members.

“Occasional incidentshappen everywhere,” Mi-guel Peña said. “The peo-ple that live here are luckyto live in such a peacefuland immaculate place.”

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

FISHERMEN Continued from Page 1A

“My father instilled the fishingbug in us, so it calls out to you,‘Let’s go fishing,’ ” MIGUEL PEÑA

ATLANTA — The U.S.Centers for Disease Con-trol and Prevention lost ormisplaced more than $8million in property in2007, losing track of itemsincluding computer andvideo equipment, govern-ment auditors say.

Agency officials saidWednesday they have cor-rected the lapses that ledto that amount of waste.

The report was releasedthis week by the inspectorgeneral for the Depart-ment of Health and Hu-man Services, the parentagency of the CDC. In2007, the auditors checkedon 200 randomly sampleditems and found 15 werelost or not inventoried, in-cluding a $1.8 million harddisk drive and a $978,000video conferencing sys-tem.

CDC Director Dr. Thom-as Frieden wrote the in-spector general that theCDC agrees with the re-port’s conclusions and hasnow instituted better con-trols. He wrote that 99 per-cent of the agency’s prop-erty was accounted for in2009. And the agency saysall of its property this year

is accounted for. The agency still hasn’t

explained what happenedto the 15 pieces of missingequipment from 2007, au-ditors said. But a CDCspokeswoman on Wednes-day said all but four of theitems — including the twomost expensive ones —have since been accountedfor.

CDC officials were tsk-tsked by Tom Schatz, pres-ident of Citizens AgainstGovernment Waste.

“It’s just a good thingthey haven’t lost any dis-eases,” Schatz said.

The Atlanta-based CDCoften gets high marks forhow well it does at its core

mission of promotinghealth and investigatingoutbreaks of illness. But ithas less incentive to keeptrack of its computerequipment or take care ofother concerns that wouldseem important to a pri-vate business, Schatz said.

“There are a lot of agen-cies that do their job well,but they don’t manage the’little things’ very well.The Defense Departmentis notorious for losing allkinds of equipment, butthey do a pretty good jobdefending the country,”Schatz said.

The CDC is the onlyHHS agency to have hadsuch an audit.

Audit finds CDCmisplaced equipment

By MIKE STOBBEASSOCIATED PRESS

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, is shown at the agency’s headquarters on in thisSept. 3, 2009 photo. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention lost or misplaced more than $8 million in property.

Photo by Erik S. Lesser | AP

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

has now been completed andhas been running since Au-gust. Also in August, thenew water treatment planthad to be run simultaneous-ly with the old one for aboutthree weeks, causing a breakin a main water line that leftZapata County without wa-ter for more than 12 hours.

The Zapata County Mu-seum of History, after break-ing ground in April 2009,was expected to open exactlya year later, in April of thisyear. After experiencing sev-eral aesthetic issues, theopening of the museummoved back month aftermonth. Despite all the timethat has passed, the museumis still not ready and lacksexhibits and landscaping. Itwas set to open in Januaryafter the president and chiefexecutive officer of theChamber of Commerce wasappointed the new director

budgets to alleviate thedeficit for the next fiscalyear.

Several attacks onboaters were reportedthrough out the year, butno one was prepared forthe unexpected attackand death of David Har-tley in September. Har-tley, who was jet skiingon Falcon Lake and tak-ing photos of the OldGuerrero Church withhis wife, was shot andkilled, and his body wasnever found.

In July, most of thestate received many rainydays, flooding several bor-der cities including Lare-do. Zapata County did notexpect to receive anyflooding due to the landbeing so elevated abovesea level. It was not untilmillions of gallons of wa-ter were released fromAmistad Dam that thewater came pouringdown, raising FalconLake’s water levels to re-cord numbers.

After an unsuccess-ful attempt to reach a“recognized” status as adistrict by the Texas Edu-cation Agency in 2009,former ZCISD Superin-tendent Romeo Rodriguezturned in his resignationin June, a year short ofcompleting his contractwith the district. ZCISDChief Instruction OfficerNorma Garcia was cho-sen to take his positionand was sworn into officein August.

The Treviño Fort lo-cated in San Ygnacio ex-perienced a major acci-dent in January as a con-struction companyworking on a large streetpaving project sprayedtar all over the side of it.After several months ofresearch on how to re-move the tar, the fort, ahistoric building, re-mains stained.

Zapata County brokeground for the new, 7.2million gallon watertreatment plant in March2009, costing approxi-mately $21.2 million. It

of the museum. The exactdate is still uncertain.

Zapata County has alsocompleted construction ofthe Advance EducationCenter, expected to open inJanuary for the first day ofinstruction if all safety dis-crepancies are fixed andthe center is up to DirectorDavid Brown’s expecta-tions.

The school districtcompleted construction ofthe new Zapata MiddleSchool campus in Novem-ber and staff was ready tomove in by the end of De-cember.

Last but not least, Za-pata County voted in newCounty Judge Joe Rathmellin the primaries in April.He will be sworn into officetoday.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

GOODBYE Continued from Page 1A

together, we can talk aboutit and see what our optionsare,” Saenz said. “We hopewe can get a new shelter,but it’s something thatcan’t be done right nowand as soon as the nextyear comes, we’ll go fromthere and see what hap-pens.”

In order for the animalcontrol to become a non-profit animal shelter, Saenzwould need to gather agroup of volunteers tomake up the shelter’sboard of directors, Hernan-dez said.

“We need three or fourpeople who are willing tovolunteer to head the ani-mal shelter,” Hernandezsaid.

The board of directorswould consist of a chair-person, a vice chair person,treasurer and a secretary isoptional, Hernandez said.

“These people would beresponsible for ensuringthat all funding is used ap-propriately, look for alter-native funding, fundraise,

ensure the upkeep of theshelter, maintenance of theanimals, submit progressreports to county officialsand other daily workings ofthe shelter,” Hernandezsaid.

Hernandez has had apassion for animals sinceshe was a child and is al-ways trying to find a wayto help them, she said.

“You don’t need to be aresident of Zapata to seethe effects of abandonedpets on the streets, passers-by can also see the effect,”Hernandez said. “Whatother people see is the re-flection of our community.”

Hernandez has been try-ing to enter the Pepsi Pro-ject Challenge to help con-struct an animal shelter inZapata County with littlesuccess, and she will nowhave to wait until March totry again.

The Pepsi Project wouldhelp fund the expansion ofthe current animal controlbuilding or the construc-tion of a new building for a

separate animal shelter,Hernandez said.

The county currentlydoes not have an animalshelter and relies only onthe animal control employ-ees and services to main-tain the growing popula-tion of strays.

Strays roam the streetsand when they are pickedup they have less than aweek, approximately 72hours to get adopted orthey are humanely euthan-ized.

The only other option forstrays in Zapata if they arenot picked up is starvationand diseases while roam-ing aimlessly and runningthe risk of getting hurt oreven killed, Hernandezsaid.

“It just breaks my heart.Strays sometimes belong tosomeone and if they don’tthey just want to belongand be loved,” Hernandezsaid.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

PETS Continued from Page 1A

Guerra.Like Guerra, Commis-

sioner Jose E. Vela prom-ises to do something abouthis health and the environ-ment’s health.

“Personally, I’m going totry to see if I can get inbetter health by startingan exercise program,” Ve-la said. “My other resolu-tion as a public official isthat I’m going to concen-trate on environmental is-sues. I’m going to work onpreventing littering andwaste spills and cleaningup our county.”

Zapata County Chamberof Commerce administra-tive assistant Amelda Gar-cia also wants to “loseweight and get in shapethis coming year,” shesaid.

Also on the healthytrain, but with biggerplans for his new career,was David Brown, director

of the Zapata County Ad-vance Education Center.

“Most important thingthis New Year is my newjob, my new life in Zapata,and I always want to be ingood health and stay inshape,” Brown said. “MyNew Year’s resolution forthis coming year is to dothe best job I can and becontent with the outcome.”

Not everyone in Zapatawas on the healthy train.Celia Balderas, ZapataCounty Chamber of Com-merce membership servic-es coordinator, said manypeople promise to lose acouple of pounds theygained during the holidaysor slowly through the yearand many times peopleforget about their NewYear’s resolutions afterJanuary.

“This year I just want tolook forward to moreevents for our community

to keep us busy,” Balderassaid.

Tom Bendele, co-ownerof Falcon Lake Tackle,wants something similarto Balderas. He said hisNew Year’s resolution is“to get people back in thelake.”

As new County JudgeJoe Rathmell gets sworninto office, Roxy Elizondo,one of his administrativeassistants, asks for noth-ing more than to not disap-point her new boss, shesaid.

For disabled Air forceVeteran Daniel Peña thereis nothing better than torelax in 2011.

“At 77, I just want totake it easy and make mylife is as comfortable aspossible,” Peña said.“What else can I do?”

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

RESOLUTIONS Continued from Page 1A

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

IRVING — Jon Kitna will be thestarting quarterback for the DallasCowboys in their finale Sunday if hisstrained abdominal muscle healsenough.

It’s not likely, though, so second-year backup Stephen McGee probablywill make his first career start.

“We have to see what Jon’s availa-bility is throughout the practice weekand see what he is able to do,” inter-im coach Jason Garrett said Monday.“Can he play? Can he practice wellenough to play in this game on Sun-day? So that’s the No. 1 consideration.

If he’s not able to do that, we will playStephen. But if he’s able to do that,Jon will be our quarterback.”

The Cowboys believe an injuredKitna would give them a betterchance to beat Philadelphia than ahealthy McGee.

Kitna has gone 4-5 since replacingTony Romo and has been hailed forhis leadership. His stats are on parwith Romo’s.

But Kitna is 38. The Cowboys al-ready are planning on him being Ro-mo’s backup next season. So why notstart McGee against the Eagles nomatter what, just to find out whatthey have — especially since Kitnacertainly won’t be at full strength?

“There’s probably a lot of differentreasons,” Garrett said. “We just feellike it’s best to give Jon a chance tocome back and play if he is healthyenough to do it.”

McGee made his NFL debut Satur-day night after Kitna was hurt duringthe second quarter against Arizona.He rallied the Cowboys from an 11-point deficit to a late lead, only to seethe defense blow it in the final sec-onds. He completed 11 of 17 passesand didn’t have any turnovers.

His biggest concern was not fum-bling his first snap. The more heplayed, the better he felt. To appre-

NFL

COWBOY QUESTIONS

Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber (24) leaps past Arizona Cardinals defenders Kerry Rhodes (25) and Gerald Hayes, right, onhis way to the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter of a game Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 27-26.

Photo by Paul Connors | AP

Big D faces serious questions for final weekBy JAIME ARON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

HOUSTON — Gary Ku-biak’s time with the Hous-ton Texans could be quick-ly running out after theteam’s unexpected plungethis season.

Houston (5-10) lost forthe eighth time in ninegames on Sunday, blowinga 17-0 halftime lead in a 24-23 loss to Tim Tebow and

the Denver Broncos.

Sorry streaksHouston will miss the

playoffs for the ninthstraight season of its exist-ence and is guaranteed itsworst record since going 6-10 in 2006, Kubiak’s firstseason.

Houston Texans cornerback Jason Allen, foreground, intercepts apass in the end zone intended for Denver Broncos’ Brandon Lloyd(84) in the first quarter a game on Sunday in Denver.

Photo by Chris Schneider | AP

Naturaldisaster

Kubiak on hot-seatafter subpar season

By CHRIS DUNCANASSOCIATED PRESS

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

PITTSBURGH — Therewas no stick-breaking bySidney Crosby when his 25-game scoring streak endedone game short of the Win-ter Classic. To Crosby, thestreak was good while itlasted, but he never hadany expectations of threat-ening Wayne Gretzky’s re-cord 51-game run.

“It would have been niceto keep it going,” Crosbysaid following Pittsburgh’s2-1 shootout loss to the Is-landers on Wednesdaynight.

Whether the streak’s endwas met so matter-of-factlyin the NHL executive offic-es is a different matter.

The NHL is selling Sat-urday’s Capitals-Penguinsoutdoor game at HeinzField as a return to thesport’s roots, a rare oppor-

tunity to watch a pro hock-ey game where the ele-ments might play a role inthe outcome. The NFL andMLB play outdoors and in-doors, but the NHL usuallyplays only indoors.

It’s a matchup betweentwo competitive rivals andthe stars who representthem.

But while it’s called theWinter Classic, it might aswell be the Crosby Classic.

There is no attempt tohide this: The NHL is mar-keting Crosby, his easy-to-recognize skills, his easy-to-like personality, his boyishimage, much like theleague once hyped Gretzky.

Crosby isn’t just the face ofthe NHL, he possesses oneof the few faces and namesa casual sports fan canidentify during a timewhen NHL highlights oftentake up only a few mo-ments of air time nightlyon ESPN.

No, the NHL didn’t invitethe Penguins to play in itsNew Year’s Day showcase— one the league comparesto the Daytona 500 in termsof impact — because Pitts-burgh is a huge media mar-ket that will deliver hugeTV ratings. Or because thePenguins won

NHL

Sid theKidgoes

ClassicSuperstars selloutdoor game

By ALAN ROBINSONASSOCIATED PRESS

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby will be facing off against hisbitter rival, Alex Ovechkin, at Heinz Field on New Years Day in theNHL Winter Classic outdoor game.

Photo by Gene J. Puskar | AP

See NHL PAGE 2B

The numbers grow ev-ery year: 35 bowl games, 70teams — the morphing ofwhat was once a NewYear’s Day tradition intoone that kicks off in mid-December and finishescloser to Martin LutherKing Day than Jan. 1.

And if those bowl-seasonstats seem bloated, try this:Ohio State and Alabamaeach spend more than $31million a year to run theirfootball programs, whilenine other teams closingout the season at one ofthose 35 bowl games spend$20 million plus.

The cheapest bowl-bound program? Thatwould be Troy, winner ofthe New Orleans Bowl onthe first postseason week-end, at just a shade over $5million. That’s nearly $23million less than theyspend an hour away at top-ranked Auburn, where theTigers are playing for thenational title this season.Auburn’s opponent in theBCS game, Oregon, spends$18 million — 16th amongthe bowl-bound schools.

The statistics come fromthe Department of Educa-

BOWL GAMES

Bowling costs gethigher each year

By EDDIE PELLSASSOCIATED PRESS

Oklahoma State’s Josh Cooper (25) and Bryant Ward (37) pourGatorade onto head coach Mike Gundy during the closing mo-ments of the game against Arizona’s at the 2010 Valero AlamoBowl in San Antonio on Wednesday.

Photo by Kin Man Hui | San Antonio Express-News

See BOWLS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

tion, which has required univer-sities to submit the amount theyspend on sports since 2000 aspart of the Equity in AthleticsDisclosure Act. With that infor-mation, the Equity in AthleticsData Analysis Cutting Tool wascreated. And while the databasecomes with disclaimers and ca-veats stating that there are nohard-and-fast guidelines as towhat schools count under theterm “expenses” and “revenue,”these are the numbers they re-port to the federal government.

After OSU ($31.7 million) and’Bama ($31.1 million), the rest oftop five biggest spenders includeNotre Dame, Auburn and LSU,according to the database. Mostschools’ figures were for the fis-cal year that ended June 30.

Broken down on a per-studentbasis, the Irish spend the most,the database says. Their trip tothe Sun Bowl is coming at a priceof $3,531 for each of Notre Dame’s8,351 undergraduates — an over-all budget of $29.4 million —while TCU spends $2,822 per stu-dent to run its Rose Bowl-boundfootball program.

For all the money they forkout, at least the TCUs and LSUsof the world are going somewherethis season. Texas, last year’s na-tional runner-up, spent $25.1 mil-lion and is sitting home for NewYear’s after going 5-7.

Boise State, meanwhile, lookslike a bargain. The underdogBroncos stayed in contention forthe national title all year with aprogram that spends a fraction ofwhat the big boys do. The tab:$6.85 million for an average of$564 a student for a program that

ended up winning the MAACOBowl this year.

While football also brings inmillions, the spending on thesport has given plenty of ammu-nition to critics of big-time col-lege sports.

“It’s a sad commentary giventhe general conditions out there:10 percent unemployment, eco-nomic stagnation,” said Tom Pa-laima, the University of Texas’representative on the Coalitionon Intercollegiate Athletics, agroup that believes spending onsports has gotten out of hand.“You look at $1,500 per capita (atAuburn), that’s a large outlay. Ijust don’t see how it can be justi-fied given that most of the reve-nues will still end up on thesports side of the ledger.”

Indeed, the common refrainamong many successful footballprograms is that they are self-sustaining. In fact, all but threeof the bowl-bound programs re-ported operating at even or in theblack.

In most cases, that allows thefootball programs — most com-monly the biggest money makersin athletic programs — to sup-port all the other sports, which inmany cases operate at a loss. Incases where there’s more moneyleft over, some of that is often giv-en to the university, which canuse it wherever the need is great-est.

The Texas athletic program

boasts that it sends back an aver-age of around $1.5 million a yearto the school. Its football programnetted a whopping $68 million inthe 12-month period ending Aug.31.

At Florida, football spent $24.4million and brought in $68.7 mil-lion for a net profit of $44.2 mil-lion. The program will give $6million to the university in the2010-11 fiscal year to bring the to-tal to $61.1 million since 1990.

“At this place, your main reve-nue source is football, so you’regoing to spend money necessaryto sustain a successful footballprogram,” Florida athletic direc-tor Jeremy Foley said. “If we gofrom playing in front of 90,000people to playing in front of60,000 people, you’re talkingabout cutting sports, scholar-ships, personnel, and nobodywants to see that happen.”

But Foley said the benefits of asuccessful sports program go be-yond merely money. Sports helpspread the word about the Uni-versity of Florida, which hasgrown in stature nationwide overthe past two decades — a time-frame that coincides with the ar-rival of Steve Spurrier as coachand the rise of a once-troubledfootball program. (Not coinciden-tally, it’s also when the athleticprogram started giving money tothe school.)

“Athletics is a big window,” Fo-ley said. “It provides a look into

the institution. If someone’s view-ing the University of Florida andlooking at a great athletic pro-gram, it enhances the way peopleview the institution and that’s allgood.”

Critics, meanwhile, respondthat big-time college football pro-grams wouldn’t have anywherenear the drawing power — andwould be little more than money-losing minor-league teams —without the name recognitionand fan base the universities andtheir alumni provide.

Not surprisingly, teams fromthe automatic-bid BCS confer-ences spend the most on football,with the Southeastern Confer-ence, which has the best TV deal,leading the way. Six of the 10highest overall spenders on thelist were from the SEC.

Presumably, football programsaround the country should haveroughly the same list of expenses:85 scholarships, weight roomsand training tables, travel bud-gets and coaches’ salaries. Thegap between the most expensiveand least was a big one, however— more than $25 million — andthere’s no doubt you will see adifference between the weightrooms at Troy and those at OhioState.

“If you need a nice weightroom to attract a top athlete,you’re going to do that, but youneed that weight room to helpthat athlete get better, too,” Foley

said. “If you have to spend moneyto pay a coach like Urban Meyer,you’re going to do that, too.You’ve got to spend money tomake money. It doesn’t just hap-pen.”

Oregon professor Nathan Tu-blitz, the former co-chair at Coali-tion on Intercollegiate Athletics,said the calculation he favors di-vides the amount spent on anygiven sport by the number ofplayers in that sport. At Oregon,he lumped them all together andfound the athletic program has a$75 million annual budget and500 scholarship students, for anaverage of about $150,000 per ath-lete per year. Meantime, the aver-age cost of education for an in-state student runs about $20,000per year.

That says something about thepriorities at an institution that’ssupposed to be more about learn-ing and research than touch-downs and wild uniforms, Tu-blitz believes.

He’s glad for the success Ore-gon’s football team is enjoyingthis season, but wonders if thiskind of money should be spenton what is essentially entertain-ment, especially in a bad econo-my.

“There is no justification forspending over $150,000 per foot-ball player per year when the restof the student body is strugglingto register for classes and to payfor books, tuition and living ex-penses,” he said. “There is a del-icate equilibrium between aca-demics and athletics, and ouruniversity, like most other bigtime athletic universities, havelost that balance.”

BOWLS Continued from Page 1B

In fact, all but three of the bowl-bound programs reportedoperating at even or in the black.

first and Ovechkin was25th.

As former teammate BillGuerin said earlier thismonth while announcinghis retirement, “Sid’s not akid any more. He’s aman.”

So if playing in thisgame required Crosby togive up any late-night NewYear’s Eve celebration, sobe it.

“I think we all feel pret-ty lucky to be in thegame,” Crosby said. “Forsome of us who haveplayed in one already, it’sanother opportunity to bepart of a pretty uniqueevent. The fact we have itin Pittsburgh, against a ri-val, and that it’s becomesuch a big event, we alljust feel lucky to be part ofit.”

The NHL’s next chal-lenge is to find a way tokeep having Crosby in-volved in it.

“Only a couple of teamsget to do this every year,”Crosby said. “To be athome and feel this excite-ment, it’s going to be a lotof fun.”

the Stanley Cup two sea-sons ago.

It’s because of Sid. Crosby’s jersey is easily

the No. 1 best seller nation-ally, and has pushed Win-ter Classic sales to theirhighest level in four years.His face fills Reebok’s adsthat proclaim Let’s TakeThis Outdoors. His nameis on top of the NHL’s goal-scoring and points lists.His leadership has put thePenguins No. 1 in the NHLstandings.

His scoring streak wasbeginning to attract con-siderable media attention.His accomplishments havemade him, at age 23, TheCanadian Press’ nationalathlete of the year for thethird time.

It’s no coincidence thatthe Winter Classic took offafter Crosby, following thescript to perfection, scoredthe decisive goal in theshootout as the Penguinsbeat the Sabres 2-1 in anear snowstorm in Buffalothree years ago.

“I think this game setsup to potentially be thebiggest of them all,” NHLchief operating officerJohn Collins said Thurs-day.

It’s only one game of1,230 in the NHL, but it’sthe biggest in terms of theleague expanding its baseaudience, getting a regu-lar-season game into theliving rooms of familiesthat usually ignore thesport. And showing off alikable star who, following

a year in which scandalswere omnipresent insports, hasn’t been touchedby a hint of any during hisfirst six seasons.

During a year in whichsome of the NFL’s best-known names dealt withimage-damaging behaviorissues (Ben Roethlisberger,Brett Favre) or tried to re-build their images follow-ing previous misdeeds (Mi-chael Vick), think thatleague wishes its No. 1 starwas as wholesome as Cros-by?

No wonder Crosby’s No.87 will be as visible asNBC’s peacock logo duringthe three-hour telecast.

The Winter Classic wasoriginally planned to high-light the Crosby vs. AlexOvechkin rivalry, butthere’s little argument thisseason which player is bet-ter. Going into Thursday’sgames, Crosby had a 13-point lead over TampaBay’s Steven Stamkos inthe scoring race after get-ting 32 goals and 33 assistsin his first 39 games.Ovechkin was No. 8. Ingoal scoring, Crosby was

NHL Continued from Page 1B

The Winter Classic wasoriginally planned to highlightthe Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkinrivalry, but there’s littleargument this season whichplayer is better.

The Texans play Jackson-ville (8-7) in their finale onSunday, and speculationhas intensified that noteven an impressive victoryover the Jaguars will beenough to save Kubiak andhis staff.

Focus on the gameKubiak has deflected

questions about his futurefor weeks, and he did itagain on Monday, sayinghe’s only focused on the fi-nale.

“Nothing’s changed forme,” he said. “I wouldn’tanswer the question anydifferently. I’m concernedabout trying to get ready towin a game.”

Kubiak’s contract runsthrough the 2012 season,and team owner BobMcNair offered a vote ofconfidence for his coachtwo weeks ago — after theteam rallied from 21 pointsdown to tie, but eventuallylose, a Monday night gameto Baltimore.

Houston was then routedby Tennessee and collapsedin the second half againstDenver, where Kubiakthrived as an offensive co-ordinator for 11 seasons un-der Mike Shanahan.

Surprise, surpriseKubiak said Monday that

he’s as shocked as anyonethat the Texans’ season un-raveled so badly. The teamstarted 4-2, overcoming thesuspensions of linebackerBrian Cushing and lefttackle Duane Brown for vi-olating the NFL’s policy onbanned substances.

But when Kubiak looksback on the season, he’ll la-ment the half-dozen gamesthat got away since then.

The Texans have led orbeen tied in the fourthquarter of seven of theirpast eight games, and lostall but one of those.

“Getting close doesn’tmatter. You’ve got to winthose games,” Kubiak said.“The key is to get yourselfto play in games like thatevery week, and we’re play-ing in them. We’re not win-ning them. That’s what’svery disappointing. Youhave to learn to make thoseplays.”

Serious lossKubiak said that the de-

fense never recovered fromthe loss of Pro Bowl middlelinebacker DeMeco Ryans,who ruptured his Achilles’tendon in the sixth game.The Texans have given upat least 24 points in each oftheir past eight losses.

“If I could change onething, I’d like (Ryans) to beplaying throughout thecourse of the season,” Ku-biak said. “That’s a big, bigmiss. We lost our leaderand our quarterback on de-fense the day we left thefield 4-2. So that’s been very,very difficult.”

The Texans’ defenseranks 29th overall and lastagainst the pass, allowing277 yards per game. Tebowthrew for 308 yards on Sun-day in his second careerstart.

Bad callsKubiak’s decision to start

rookie Kareem Jackson andsecond-year pro GloverQuin at cornerback hasproven disastrous.

Houston has allowed 32touchdown passes and 17pass plays covering at least40 yards, both league highs,

and most of those defensivebreakdowns have occurredin the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think it’s onemistake,” Kubiak said. “Ithink there are things thathappen through the courseof a game that put you inthose situations. But usual-ly, in the fourth quarter,there are four, five or sixplays that are the differencein the game, and you’ve gotto make three or four ofthem. Obviously, we haven’tbeen doing that.”

UnpredictibleWith Sunday’s loss, Ku-

biak’s record slipped to 36-43 through five seasons.The Texans’ progress hasstalled after they went 9-7last season, the franchise’sfirst winning record.

“Words can’t describehow I feel,” Kubiak said.“We had a good team com-ing out of camp, a lot of rea-sons to be very optimistic.We had some issues earlyin the season, we weath-ered the storm very, verywell.

“But the bottom line iswe’ve lost five or six gamesthat we easily could’ve won,and that’s the difference be-tween having a great sea-son and having the seasonwe’re having right now.”

Notes: Kubiak said WRAndre Johnson will sit outpractice this week to nursea sprained right ankle.Johnson skipped Sunday’sgame in Denver and isquestionable for the finale.“If he tells me Friday thathe feels good enough toplay, then he’s going toplay,” Kubiak said. “We’llhave to wait and see how itgoes.” ... Kubiak said LBDarryl Sharpton will missthe Jacksonville game witha shoulder injury.

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B

ciate how much of a step upin competition this was, hehadn’t played a game thatcounted since he was atTexas A&M, and he’d neverthrown to Jason Witten andMiles Austin.

He’d had only three se-ries with the first-team of-fense, despite being the No.2 guy the past nine weeks.

“Being out there andplaying, getting thosesnaps, those are priceless, aconfidence boost,” McGeesaid. “Hey, I’ve got that outof the way. I’ve taken snaps.I’ve played. There are a lotof plays from that game Ican draw from and use this

week to really focus on andget better.”

Dallas added anotherquarterback Monday, sign-ing Chris Greisen to thepractice squad.

Greisen is 34 and hasnever taken a snap in theNFL despite being Arizo-na’s No. 3 quarterback from1999-2001. He spent a fewweeks on Washington’spractice squad in 2002 andhas since played in NFLEurope, af2, the AFL andthe UFL. One of his ArenaLeague teams was the Cow-boys-owned Desperados.

When Kitna was hurt,Greisen thought there was

a remote chance he mightget a call from the Cow-boys. He actually missed itwhile at a Christmas party.Dallas’ pro scouting coordi-nator Will McClay — who’dbeen Greisen’s coach on theDesperados — left a mess-age.

“I had to call him back,”Greisen said, laughing. “Hesaid, ’I have a propositionfor you: Do you want to be-come a Cowboys?’ I said,’Heck, yeah.’ It was a great,great surprise.”

The Cowboys could moveGreisen up to the activeroster if Kitna is unable toplay Sunday.

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B

COACH K WINS HIS WAY INTO SECOND PLACE

Photo by Chuck Burton | AP

Duke’s NolanSmith (2)drives pastNorth Carolina-Greensboro’sBrian Cole (50)and David Wil-liams (00 inGreensboro,N.C. onWednesday.The victory forNo. 1 Dukepushed CoachK past DeanSmith into solesecond-placeon the all-timewins list.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

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

Dear Readers: Have youever watched a cat playingwith CATNIP? It can bequite comical! Not all catsreact to catnip (kittens sel-dom do), but for those thatdo, they really have fun!

Related to mint, catnipstimulates the cat’s brain. Ifyour cat is playing with cat-nip, it’s probably best just tolet it play; some can becomeaggressive. So, learn howyour cat reacts.

Catnip is sold loose andin toys. To use it loose,sprinkle a bit on the floor(yes, it will be messy, andkeep from children), or putsome in a sock, then tie.

To maintain loose cat-nip’s freshness, store it inthe refrigerator or freezer ina sealed, clearly labeled con-tainer. Meow! — Heloise

REMEMBRANCE PARTYDear Heloise: We recently

lost our beloved dog Rocky— such a tremendous loss.So we had a “remembrance”party.

We made homemade icecream and cake, invitedabout 20 of our friends andasked each to bring a bag ofdry dog/cat food or cat lit-ter. We had a ball. Ourneighbors and friends so-cialized and had a goodtime, and we raised 144pounds of dog food, 50pounds of cat food and 50pounds of cat litter. We do-nated this to the local ani-mal shelter in his memory.

We still miss him everyday, but a lot of animals ben-efited from our party. — A.Russell in Woodstock, Va.

I know the pain of losinga beloved pet! How thought-ful, and nice to know otheranimals will have a supplyof food, in Rocky’s memory.If only a few of my readersfollowed your example, justimagine! — Heloise

SLIPPERY SURFACEDear Heloise: I have read

when someone has used catlitter on a slippery surface.As an EMT, I am speakingfrom experience: Please donot use cat litter with CLAY,because this makes the sit-uation worse. When the claygets wet, it’s very slippery. Ihave seen leg fractures fromsomeone putting cat litteron ice. Regular cat litter isfine as long as it doesn’thave clay in it. — D.M., viae-mail

D.M., thank you for thecaution. The original hintwas for use to aid in trac-tion on slippery streets.When clay cat litter getswet, it becomes slick and isunsafe to walk on. Somenonclumping cat litter canbe used in a pinch, but noton the sidewalk. — Heloise

HINTS BY | HELOISE

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES Sports SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

ATLANTA — SponsorsWrangler and Snapperare sticking by BrettFavre after the NFL finedhim $50,000 for failing tocooperate in an investiga-tion into allegations hesent inappropriate mess-ages and lewd photos toformer New York Jetsgame-day hostess JennSterger.

A spokesperson for VFCorp.’s Wrangler jeanssaid the brand still hasthe 41-year-old MinnesotaVikings quarterback un-der contract. The compa-ny wouldn’t commentabout the NFL fine. Itscommercials featuringFavre are still running.

Snapper, a unit ofBriggs & Stratton Corp.,that makes lawn mowers,snow throwers and otherproducts, has an image ofFavre on its Web site andsays Favre remains aspokesperson.

Although NFL Com-missioner Roger Goodell“could not conclude” thatFavre violated theleague’s personal conductpolicy based on the evi-dence available, the inves-tigation has tarnishedFavre’s reputation. He haslong been one of Ameri-ca’s most popular athletesand has won a SuperBowl, set many passingand durability recordsand has an image as aneveryday, down-to-earth

guy.It is unclear what the

fine and investigation willdo over the long term toFavre’s endorsements.

After Tiger Woods ranhis SUV over a fire hy-drant in November 2009,eventually bringing tolight his infidelities, Ac-centure, AT&T Inc. andGatorade cut ties withhim. Gillette and TagHeuer de-emphasized himin their marketing. Justlast week, Gillette said itwouldn’t renew Woods’contract. EA Sports andNike, meanwhile, stood bythe golfer.

The fine might beFavre’s career capper. Al-though several times hehas said he was retiringthen changed his mind,Favre has said repeatedlythis season is his last.

Favre’s marketability isunlikely to take a hugehit from the investigation,said Laura Ries, presidentof Ries & Ries, an market-ing/consulting firm.

“It was a minor infrac-tion, a text message,” shesaid. “This is in no wayon the scale of TigerWoods.”

His bigger problem: Re-tirement will take himout of the spotlight, shesaid.

“People tend to forgetthese people over time.”

Sponsors staywith Favre

By MAE ANDERSONASSOCIATED PRESS

BRETT FAVRE:Sponsors stayonboard followingNFL fine.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.— Composite bats willno longer be used in theLittle League World Se-ries.

Little League offi-cials announced a mo-ratorium on the equip-ment Thursday basedon research it commis-sioned from the Univer-sity of Massachusetts inLowell.

Composite bats havemetal shells enclosingwoven fibers inside thebarrels.

Critics say the batsendanger youngstersbecause balls fly offthem at high speedsand can injure fielders.Supporters say they arelighter and easier tohandle.

Little League bannedcomposite bats in itsolder junior, senior andbig league divisions inAugust.

The league broad-ened the ban on Thurs-day to include theyounger majors divi-sion featured in theWorld Series.

Players can use woodbats, metal bats or batswith composite materi-als in the handle only.

LLWSoutlaws

compositebats

High poweredbats deemed

illegal for kidsASSOCIATED PRESS

The MVP, coach of theyear and other top NFLawards will be announcedin a month. A slew of off-beat honors will be an-nounced, well, right now.

MOST MEMORABLE GAMEPlenty of candidates

during an exciting andnews-making season, but

the slam-dunk winnercame in Week 15 at the

New Meadowlands Stadi-um. The result left Giantsfans shaking their heads

and mumbling about “TheFumble II.”

Philadelphia’s stunningrally for 28 points in thelast 71/2 minutes of a 38-31 victory gave it control

of the NFC East. NewYork’s shocking collapse,in which it was fooled onan onside kick almost ev-eryone else expected, then

was flummoxed on De-Sean Jackson’s sensational

punt return as time ranout, will live on in Big

Apple infamy. Runner-up: Pittsburgh

13, Baltimore 10, in asclassic a defensive show-

down as the NFL canstage.

MOST FORGETTABLE GAMETwo also-rans, the

Browns and Bills, playedan uglyfest at OrchardPark on Dec. 12. TheBrowns fumbled five

times, losing two, andJake Delhomme threw an

interception late in thegame. Buffalo wasn’t a lot

better in a 13-6 win. Runners-up: Also on

Dec. 12, Green Bay’s 7-3loss at Detroit, notable for

an oddity — the Lionsbreaking a 19-game slide

against division opponents— and an injury, PackersQB Aaron Rodgers’ con-

cussion. That same day, the Dol-

phins won 10-6 in a sloppyaffair at the Jets, who

were in a malaise after ablowout loss to New Eng-

land six days earlier.PLAY OF THE YEAR

Jackson’s 65-yard puntreturn on the final play ofPhiladelphia’s 38-31 victo-ry over the Giants will be

shown on highlightsshows for years. Rookie

Matt Dodge was supposedto kick the ball out of

bounds to avoid Jacksonwith 14 seconds left. He

didn’t, taking a high snapand rushing his punt. The

ball floated to Jackson,who then dropped it. Butthe ultradangerous receiv-

er/returner scooped upthe ball, retreated a bit,

then sped down the mid-dle, cut right and was

gone. He made a slight detour

at the 1-yard line to en-sure the clock would runout before being mobbed

by the victorious Eagles. Runner-up: David Gar-

rard’s desperation passthat was wisely knocked

downward by Houstoncornerback Glover Quin.

Except he deflected it intothe hands of Mike Thom-as, lifting Jacksonville tovictory on the final play.

BEST TURNAROUNDA season after going 1-

15, the Rams became acontender, albeit in theMild, Mild NFC West.

Still, the improvement inSteve Spagnuolo’s second

season as coach should belauded.

Bringing in top overalldraft choice Sam Brad-

ford, then seeing him de-velop rapidly at quarter-back, filled a huge void.

Second-round tackle Rodg-er Saffold has solidified

the offensive line, and thedefense, thanks to Spagnu-

olo’s schemes and thegains made by DE ChrisLong and LB James Lau-

rinaitis, is on the rise. Runner-up: Look 240

miles west across Missou-ri to Kansas City, where

the Chiefs have gone fromalso-ran with coaching is-

sues to AFC contender. WORST TURNAROUND

So many candidates,but the Arizona Cardinalsstarted bad and got worse.

Not only couldn’t theCardinals find an efficient,

let alone decent, replace-

ment for retired quarter-back Kurt Warner, buttheir defense sufferedfrom losing LB KarlosDansby and DB Antrel

Rolle. Star receiver LarryFitzgerald suffered with

Anquan Boldin gone. Then the team looked

like vintage Cardinals —you know, the ones whoregularly won three orfour games a season. Runners-up: The Vik-

ings. Or the Bengals. Orthe Broncos. Or the Cow-

boys.BEST FREE AGENT SIGNING

The Monsters of theMidway are back in intim-idating form, and a majorreason is the addition ofDE Julius Peppers. His

numbers have not been offthe chart since he movedto Chicago from Carolina,but his impact has beenon a defense that ranks

eighth overall, thirdagainst the run, and hasallowed six fewer points

per game. Runner-up: Even though

CB Dunta Robinson of theFalcons made his biggestheadlines when he was

fined $50,000 for a flagranthit on Jackson, he’s been

solid all season for theNFC front-runner.

WORST FREE AGENT SIGNINGCincinnati signed Anto-

nio Bryant to combinewith Chad Ochocinco and

Terrell Owens in a dy-

namic receiving corps thatwould complement the

running of Cedric Bensonas the Bengals defended

their AFC North title.Bryant received a four-

year, $28 million deal, in-cluding about $7 million

up front, while coming offan injury-marred season.

Runner-up: Joey Porterjoined Arizona, where itwas hoped he’d providesome of the playmakingand leadership lost withDansby gone. He didn’t

come close. BEST NFL BROADCAST CREW

No contest. ESPN’spairing of Jon Gruden,Ron Jaworski and MikeTirico has no peer. Gru-

den is instructive and en-tertaining; he’s even be-

gun to find a critical voicewhen necessary. Nobody

knows more about the insand outs of the game than

Jaworski, who watchesmore film than a movie

critic. Tirico is so smoothand efficient it’s like lis-

tening to a close friend de-scribe the action.

Runner-up: Sam Rosenand Tim Ryan. Rosen pri-marily is a hockey man,

but his ability to give con-cise and accurate play-by-

play before yielding toanalyst Ryan is exemplary.Nobody breaks down each

play better than Ryan,whose passion for the

game is contagious.

Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson returns a punt for a touchdown during their match up with the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.Jackson fielded a punt that was supposed to be kicked out of bounds and scored on an incredible 65-yard return on the final play, giving the Eagles a stunning 38-31 victory.That feat earned the game the Most Memorable Game honors.

Photo by Bill Kostroun | AP

2010 NFL Offbeat Award honorsBy BARRY WILNERASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Wis-consin’s size againstTCU’s speed. The Badgers’fearsome offensive lineversus the Horned Frogs’ingenious defensiveschemes.

The story line seemsobvious for Saturday’sRose Bowl, and it’s toughto argue against it afterwatching Wisconsin’s starleft tackle, 6-foot-7 Out-land Trophy winner GabeCarimi, as he ducks downto enter a hotel ballroom.

“It’s like a Ferrari anda dump truck,” TCU de-fensive coordinator DickBumpas said with a grin.

Yet the third-rankedFrogs and the No. 4 Badg-ers also say it’s a simplis-tic way of looking atwhat’s arguably the big-gest bowl outside the na-tional title game this sea-son.

Sure, Wisconsin’s offen-sive line is a worthy heirto the Badgers’ traditionof power football, whileTCU’s top-ranked defenseis a masterpiece of tacticsand technique. But theFrogs (12-0) aren’t exactlysmall, and the Badgers(11-1) are far from slow.

“I get that that’s thefirst line of the story, butthere’s much more to itthan that,” Wisconsin of-fensive coordinator PaulChryst said. “I think we’dbe slighting both teams ifall we talked about wasour size and their speed.”

It’s impossible to missWisconsin’s offensive line,

usually because it’s block-ing out the sun. The Badg-ers’ line is a monument tooverpowering physicality— a Mount RushmorePlus One, with everystarter at least 6-foot-4 and313 pounds.

Carimi and left guardJohn Moffitt are amongthe Badgers’ most popularand talented players, lead-ing a line that has allowedthree tailbacks to rush forat least 850 yards apiecewhile giving up just 12sacks.

“Their offensive line isknown throughout thecountry,” said TCU centerJake Kirkpatrick, an elitetalent himself. “With thatcombination of size andspeed, they’re differentthan anybody. They’reunique, and they’re pretty

awesome.” Wisconsin built its

hulking line with historyin mind. Superior lineplay has been a hallmarkof Badgers football sinceshortly after coach BarryAlvarez arrived at theschool from Notre Damein 1990, building the pro-gram that eventually pro-duced the only three RoseBowl victories in Wiscon-sin history.

“You can arguably saythe best lines in Wiscon-sin history went throughthe Rose Bowl,” said the22-year-old Carimi, whogrew up just east of Madi-son. “The ’98 and ’99 lineshad a lot of the same guyson them, and the firstRose Bowl team (after the1993 season) had a greatline too, I think. That’s

the deal as Wisconsin. Ifyou want to be seen as agreat line, getting to theRose Bowl is a part of it.”

The parallels are partic-ularly strong to the 1999Wisconsin team, with RonDayne winning the Heis-man Trophy behind a linethat bullied every oppo-nent except Michigan dur-ing a one-loss season.Coach Bret Bielema hasstuck with Alvarez’s phys-ical foundation, evenwhile much of the nationhas evolved into variousspread offenses.

“We’re very consciousthat Wisconsin has a tra-dition of great offensiveline play,” Moffitt said.“As long as there’s enor-mous people in Wisconsin,I think that’s the way it’sgoing to be.”

Frogs face big BadgersBy GREG BEACHAMASSOCIATED PRESS

TCU safety Tejay Johnson laughs while talking to his teammate during a media day for the Rose Bowlin Los Angeles on Thursday. TCU is scheduled to face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day inPasadena, Calif.

Photo by Jae C. Hong | AP