1-07-2010

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Roswell Daily Record

INSIDE NEWS

DALEY NAMED CHIEF OF STAFF Overhauling his team at the top, President Barack Obama on Thursday named banker and seasoned political fighter William Daley as his new chief of staff ...

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THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Ex-astronaut Schmitt gets energy post

Vol. 120, No. 6 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

SANTA FE (AP) — Former astronaut Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, who walked on the moon and served in the U.S. Senate, was nominated Thursday by Gov. Susana Martinez to run a state agency that oversees energy production in New Mexico. Schmitt was selected as Cabinet secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The Republican governor also named Dr. Catherine Torres, a Las Cruces pediatrician, as secretary of the Health Department. Schmitt, 75, was one of the last men to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. He won election to the Senate in 1976, but lost his re-elec-

January 7, 2011

FRIDAY

www.rdrnews.com

tion bid in 1982 to Democrat Jeff Bingaman, who remains in the Senate. Schmitt, who lives in Albuquerque but grew up in Silver City, has been working as an aerospace consultant. Martinez said one of Schmitt’s first assignments is to review the energy agency’s regulations, including rules adopted by former Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration in 2008 that restrict the use of pits for onsite waste disposal at drilling sites. The oil industry has objected to the regulations, saying they are partly to blame for a slowdown in drilling in New Mexico. Taxes and royalties from

energy production account for about 15 percent of the revenues that flow into the state’s main budget account. Martinez said that Schmitt’s task is to make sure “we are developing the resources responsibly without killing jobs.” Schmitt said New Mexico has been “ill served” by reg-

Attack of the tumbleweeds

See SCHMITT Page A2 AP Photo

RIGHT: Harrison Schmitt talks to the media after New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez nominates him to run a state agency that oversees energy production in New Mexico during a news conference on Thursday.

Lyons named chairman

TOP 5 WEB

For The Last 24 Hours

• Pearce sworn in • Al Solis named RPD Chief • Incumbent VP of School Board running for re-election • Private-payroll report lifts hopes for more jobs • Laura Bush speaking

INSIDE SPORTS

Mark Wilson Photo

Massive amounts of tumbleweeds are cleared away along the fence separating Y O Road from the Roswell International Air Center Wednesday afternoon.

New info on December fire

LIONS TOP WARRIORS When Roswell’s two parochial schools — Valley Christian and Gateway Christian — do battle, it’s almost always an entertaining affair, no matter the sport... - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES Connie Ozbun

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HIGH ...69˚ LOW ....28˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

INDEX

CLASSIFIEDS..........B5 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL........A2, A3 HOROSCOPES ........B5 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD .................A3

State Fire Marshal’s Office investigators announced Thursday they may have some information on the possible cause of a midDecember blaze in the heart of Cloudcroft, but said that the official cause is still yet to be determined. An investigator spokesman announced that inquiry into the blaze immediately following the fire, which destroyed several businesses in the village’s Burro Street area, “yielded clues about numerous potential ignition sources,” stated Gerald Garner, spokesman for the Fire Marchal’s Office. “Investigators continue to

gather information, conduct reviews and test evidence in an effort to pinpoint the fire’s origin and cause,” he said. “To date, however, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.” Investigators determined that the early-morning Dec. 13 blaze started within the Pine Stump Mall building, which was owned by the village’s mayor, Dave Venable. Officials say they could not estimate when the investigation will conclude, but asked anyone who has information, photographs or video of the fire that could be useful in the investigation to contact 505-476-0066.

EMILY RUSSO MILLER RECORD STAFF WRITER

school district’s human resources department. If elected, Ponce, now a first-grade teacher at Sunset Elementary School, promises to work for excellence in student achievement by developing curricu-

Former lawmaker running for school board seat

A former legislator in the state House of Representatives is running for a seat on the Roswell Independent School District School Board. Pauline Ponce will be up against sitting City Councilor Barry Foster and the incumbent Vice President of the Board George Peterson. Ponce, 60, who served in the House from 2001 to 2004, said her experience developing the state budget while on the House Appropriations Committee well qualifies her for a seat on the board, especially in hard economic times. “With my expertise in budgeting, I hope to add a high degree of knowledge in that area,” Ponce said. Ponce also dealt with budgetary decisions while she served as Assistant Superintendent for the

The state’s Public Regulation Commission’s representative for District 2, which encompasses Roswell and Chaves County, was elected as chairman of the board that regulates the utilities, telecommunications, motor carriers and insurance industries in the state. Commissioner Pat Lyons was appointed to the position by a 3-2 vote during the commission’s first regular meeting of the new year, Tuesday. He replaced former Commissioner David King. Lyons was elected to the PRC in November. “I’m looking forward to serving the people of New Mexico, especially in District 2,” said Lyons, adding See LYONS Page A2

Pentagon plans to rein in spending WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in more than a decade defined by costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon announced plans Thursday to freeze its ballooning budget, forcing the services to shrink the Army and Marines and increase health care premiums for military retirees and their families. The Pentagon says it can stop asking for annual budget increases in 2015, adjusting its spending only for inflation. The last time the Pentagon’s

budget went down was in 1998. The plan is aimed at helping the nation whittle away at its massive deficit. But the proposal, which requires $78 billion in spending cuts and relies on another $100 billion in cost-saving moves to cover urgent requirements, is tied to two assumptions: that the war in Afghanistan will end on time and that Congress will agree to plans to cancel popular job-making programs and charge retired military

families more for health care. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged that projections about what the world will look like so far in the future have a troubled track record. But the Defense Department is “not exempt” from belt-tightening just because of its charge to defend the nation, he said. “Looking five years into the future is through a

See PENTAGON Page A6

King of the roof

See PONCE Page A6

Emily Russo Miller Photo

Pauline Ponce is running for the school board, District 4, against a city councilor and the incumbent vice president.

Mark Wilson Photo

A worker is silhouetted as he works atop a roof of a house under construction on W. Karabella just off of N. Montana Wednesday.


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