Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 06 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
January 7, 2015
New VA director vows to address concerns BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Several area veterans, including a strong contingent from Roswell, attended a town hall meeting in Artesia Tuesday hosted by the New Mexico VA Health Care System. The gathering was the first town hall for Andrew Welch, the new director of the New Mexico VA Health Care System, who told veterans he needed to hear their concerns in order to address them. “I thought it was very good,” Welch said after the 1 1⁄2 hour meeting at the
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Artesia Elks Lodge. “One of the things that I always say is that we can’t help veterans if we dont know what’s on their minds and what kind of things we can do for them. That’s how we make things better. I think it was a great session. The veterans were very open. I thought they were very open and honest and felt very comfortable in saying what’s on their minds. I think that’s great. We have a lot of follow-up to do from this meeting today. I’m glad to have an opportunity for improvement.” Veterans asked Welch questions for about an hour, followed by one-on-
one private sessions between veterans and VA staff. Representatives for Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce also attended the meeting, as did some area advocates and volunteers for veterans. Welch, who has worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for 27 years, said he was appointed director of the New Mexico VA Health Care System about three weeks ago. He said he started his career with the VA as a dietician and has worked for the VA in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas before coming to New Mexico.
Paul Hill, 67, of Carlsbad, a U.S. Army veteran, said he went to the VA Hospital in Albuquerque for an ankle problem, but said the doctor hadn’t yet read his Xrays. “Well, it was a good long time before I got any pain medicine,” Hill said, adding the medication makes him sleepy and impairs his ability to drive. Hill later said he had confidence in the VA. “I really believe in my heart they are doing all that they can do,” Hill said. U.S. Army veteran Walter See VA, Page A3
Jeff Tucker Photo
Andrew Welch, the new director of the New Mexico VA Health Care System, speaks with Louise Smith, a widow of a veteran, at a VA town hall Tuesday at the Elks Lodge in Artesia. It was Welch’s first town hall since becoming the new director in December.
Three-vehicle crash sends 4 to ENMMC
Artesia man arrested for reckless endangerment SUBMITTED BY RPD
A pickup truck speeding north on Main Street Tuesday caused a crash involving that vehicle and two other vehicles, sending four people to the hospital. The crash occurred at the intersection of North Main Street and Mescalero Road at 12:50 p.m. The pickup was originally reported at 12:46 p.m. speeding and driving erratically north on Main Street near Brasher Road in south Roswell, about four miles south of where the crash would occur about four minutes later in north Roswell. Calls from motorists
Bill Moffitt Photos
A three-vehicle crash that scattered debris over a large area at North Main Street and Mescalero Road snarled traffic around 1 p.m. Tuesday as police, firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the scene. Several of the victims were transported to the hospital, said a spokesman for the Roswell Police Department.
Deadline approaches for Early College program BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
The Early College High School is looking for eighth-graders who want to graduate high school in four years and receive an associate’s degree at the same time. The Early College High School is offered through the Roswell Independent School District to rising eighth-graders as an educational offering, said Principal Porter Cutrell. The mission of the early college program is to pro-
vide students with meaningful learning opportunities to become confident framers of their futures through the comprehensive college and career readiness programs offered by ECHS, Cutrell said. “We say, ‘where there is a will, there is an A,’” Cutrell told the Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. The program is housed at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell and although the program falls under University High School, it is a separate program and is for students
willing to work hard and earn college credit while also achieving their high school education. Students who complete the ECHS program finish high school with either a vocational certificate from ENMU-R, an associate’s degree from ENMU-R, or two years’ of college completed — and some students finish the program with all three. The deadline for the 2015-16 school year applications is Feb. 15, and stu-
Part of the problem was a malfunctioning de-icer at the airport, said City Manager Steve Polasek on Monday. “The de-icer was down the morning of New Year’s Day, but it was back up later that day,” Polasek said. “Why flights were canceled after that I do not know.” Polasek said contractor AVFlight operates the deicer for American Airlines
— the company that owns American Eagle —but the de-icer equipment actually belongs to RIAC. Airport Director Jennifer Brady also confirmed that the city owns the de-icer equipment. “We did experience some irregular operations, and on Jan. 2 we didn’t fly at all,” said Martha Thomas of the American Airlines cor-
reported the pickup driving in the lanes of oncoming traffic at times as it continued to speed north. Police had not yet been able to locate the pickup before the crash occurred. The crash involved the speeding pickup, a Toyota Tacoma, a Toyota Camry and an SUV (make and model not yet available). The Tacoma received heavy front-end damage and the Camry suffered extensive damage to its passenger side and rear end. The SUV had a lesser amount of damage. The Tacoma came to a stop nearly half a block north of the intersecSee CRASH, Page A3
If buffaloes could fly
Faulty de-icer, bad weather result in canceled flights BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
American Eagle flights to Roswell International Air Center were canceled over the New Year’s Day holiday due to weather and equipment problems at the RIAC, according to city and airline officials. The canceled flights affected hundreds of travelers trying to retur n to Roswell.
HIGH 32 LOW 17
TODAY’S FORECAST
See PROGRAM, Page A3
See FLIGHTS, Page A2
• FELIX A. LOMBARDI JR. • RAYMOND FLOYD VICK • MARY RICE MUSE
Timothy P. Howsare Photo
If buffaloes could fly, let’s hope at least one lands in Roswell. Workers were putting finishing touches on the exterior of Buffalo Wild Wings on Tuesday, including the company logo of a big-winged buffalo. The casual dining restaurant and sports bar is expected to open before the end of the month. It is located on North Main Street across from the convention center.
• MARILEE BACA • EVAN HEALD JR.
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGES A3 & A6
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........B6 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8