Roswell Daily Record for 01-02-2014

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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

New Mexico reports slow job growth

Vol. 123, No. 2 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — Job growth over the past year in New Mexico has been the slowest among nine other states in the West, including neighboring Arizona, Colorado and Texas. The latest market review by the New Mexico Workforce Solutions Department shows employment in New Mexico grew by 1,700 jobs between November 2012 and November 2013. That amounts to 0.2 percent.

Nationally, the job growth rate was 1.7 percent for the same period. The report shows Texas led the region with year over-year job growth of 2.5 percent, followed by Utah, Colorado and Arizona. Job growth in Arizona was 1.9 percent, while Colorado topped 2 percent. New Mexico labor officials did point to a bright spot: The Albuquerque area marked positive annual job growth for the eighth con-

January 2, 2014

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secutive month. The metro area added about 3,200 jobs during the 12-month period ending in November. Private sector employment grew by 2,600 jobs, with most of that fueled by the construction industry. The city did lose 1,000 manufacturing jobs over the year, however, and the usually robust educational and health services sector lost 200 jobs. In Las Cruces, about 300

jobs were gained in 12 months, representing a 0.4 percent increase. Farmington saw its over -the-year job growth increase by 1.4 percent. There is some potential for New Mexico’s employment numbers to improve in 2014. The labor report mentioned the ef fort by the University of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque to revitalize the commercial life of down-

Party’s over

A sanitation worker sweeps up debris in New York's Times Square early New Year's Day, Wednesday.

AP Photo

THURSDAY

town Albuquerque through Innovate ABQ and the possibility of a major potash project in southeaster n New Mexico. International Potash is in the process of receiving approval from the Bureau of Land Management to break ground on the Lea County mining project. The construction phase is expected to last three years and cost about $1 billion. In Dona Ana County, commissioners are consid-

ering expanding one of three foreign trade zones, which are commercial areas that exempt importers from paying typical tariffs and duties. Supporters contend that allowing importers to move their products anywhere in the county tax-free — along with new transportation options stemming from Union Pacific Railroad’s new facility — would draw in new businesses.

LAS CRUCES (AP) — Farmers in southern New Mexico are hoping for more snow this winter as they try to recover from what was a historically dismal irrigation season in 2013. Snowpack levels in souther n Colorado and northern New Mexico will be closely watched in the first part of the year. So far, they’re better than last year. Phil King, the water engineer for the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, told the Las Cruces Sun-News that despite the early snow, there’s no indication this season will offer anything close to a full supply of water. A federal report released Monday showed the Upper Rio Grande Basin was around 90 percent of nor-

mal for this time of year. That’s down from over 100 percent in early December. Experts say the snowfall all but shut down in December. “It seems like most of the stor ms that have come through are either skirting us to the north or they’re moisture starved,” said Wayne Sleep, a hydrologic technician with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Albuquerque. “It hasn’t been real favorable for snowpack development.” The most important snowfall months are about to begin. January, February and March usually generate the bulk of the snowpack for a given season, experts say.

Farmers hope for more snow

White House asks Recreational pot shops open in Colo. Congress to pass jobless benefits bill

HONOLULU (AP) — The White House is calling on Congress to make its first legislation of the new year the restoration of unemployment insurance for Americans whose benefits have expired.

More than 1 million Americans lost jobless benefits last week. White House economist Gene Sperling says restoring the benefits would not only help those individuals, but also lead to the creation of 200,000 jobs and economic

growth.

Under the benefits program, the federal government provided an average monthly stipend of $1,166. However, an extension was dropped from a budget deal struck in December and Republican lawmakers have balked at its $26 billion annual cost. The White House is backing a bill that would temporarily extend the benefits for three months.

DENVER (AP) — Crowds were serenaded by live music as they waited for the nation’s first legal recreational pot shops to open. They ate doughnuts and funnel cakes as a glass-blower made smoking pipes. Some tourists even rode around in a limo, eager to try weed but not so eager to be seen buying it.

And when the sales began, those who bought the drug emerged from the stores, receipt held high and carrying sealed shopping bags, to cheers.

“I’m going to frame the receipt when I go home, to remind myself of what might be possible: Legal

1st snowstorm of new year descends on New England HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Residents and emergency management officials in New England and parts of New York prepared on Wednesday for a winter storm predicted to help usher in 2014 with snow and frigid temperatures across much of the region. Snow was expected to begin falling over night, promising a messy commute for the first business day of the new year, but the full stor m wasn’t expected to hit until later Thursday. As much as a foot of snow or more was forecast for some areas

overnight Thursday into Friday, and temperatures were expected to plummet, with some areas seeing highs just above zero, the National Weather Service said. “There will be travel problems,” said Hugh Johnson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Albany, N.Y. “It will be very cold.” The stor m dropped a half-foot or more of snow in Illinois on Wednesday, prompting hundreds of flight cancellations into and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, according to the avia-

HIGH 50 LOW 22

TODAY’S FORECAST

everywhere,” said musician James Aaron Ramsey, 28, who did some time in jail for pot possession in Missouri and played folk tunes with his guitar for those in line.

Activists hope he’s right, and that the experiment in Colorado will prove to be a better alternative to the costly American-led drug war, produce the kind of revenue that state officials hope and save the government costs in locking up drug offenders. Just on the first day, prices in some places rose to more than $500 an ounce, and some shops announced midafternoon they would close early

because of short supply. It’s too soon to say whether the price spikes and long lines will persist. Washington state will open its pot industry later this year. Both states’ programs will be watched closely not just by officials in other states, but by activists and governments in other countries because the industries will be the first to regulate the production and sale of the drug. Some countries have decriminalized the drug, and the Netherlands lets people buy and sell it, but it’s illegal to grow or process it. Just as shops opened

See SNOW, Page A3

Wednesday, the Denver Police Department tweeted, “Do you know the law?” and linked to city websites on state and local laws that include bans on public consumption, driving under the influence, taking marijuana out of state and giving pot to anyone under 21.

Denver police said one person was issued a summons for public consumption. The Colorado State Patrol reported no potrelated incidents. No potrelated incidents were reported at Denver International Airport, where signs war ned travelers See POT, Page A3

tion tracking website FlightAware.com.

Sections of interior souther n New England and New York could get up to a foot of snow, with forecasts generally calling for 6 to 12 inches. New York City, likely to see 3 to 7 inches, issued a snow alert. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged the city’s commuters to leave their cars at home in case major highways are closed for Thursday’s evening rush hour. “We are looking at a serious storm situation,” Cuomo said.

• GARY BEAR • JOSEFINA RODARTE DEVORA • KEVIN S. “KEVO” AVERY

AP Photo

People enjoy a snow-covered Cloud Gate at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, which became a great photo opportunity for visitors, Wednesday.

TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6

CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6

COMICS .................B5

ENTERTAINMENT .....A8

INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4

SPORTS .................B1

WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD ..................A6


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