Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 07 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
January 8, 2015
Reps file bill to repeal state’s driver’s license law BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Members of the new Republican majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives have filed legislation that would repeal the decade-old state law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in New Mexico. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez campaigned on the issue in her re-election campaign last year, and the repeal proposal is also
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supported by local state lawmakers. State Rep. Paul Pacheco, of Albuquerque, and state Rep.-elect Andy Nuñez, of Hatch, pre-filed the legislation to repeal the 2003 law. New Mexico began issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in 2003 after a bill was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Bill Richardson. Supporters said allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses would make all drivers identifiable
And they’re off!
to law enforcement and able to insure their vehicles. Richardson, a Democrat, left office in 2010 and support for the law has tanked in recent years, with 75 percent of respondents saying they oppose the law in a September poll conducted by the Albuquerque Journal. Opponents of the law, such as Pacheco, say issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants has made New Mexico a magnet for organized crime.
“As a public servant and former police officer, protecting the people of New Mexico is a top priority,” Pacheco said. “Providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants has turned New Mexico into a magnet for criminal activity, leading to elaborate fraud rings and human trafficking. It is a dangerous practice that needs to be repealed once and for all.” A spokesman for the House Republican caucus said the repeal bill has
support from all 37 Republican members of the House, and most New Mexicans, regardless of ethnicity, age or other demographic category. Chris Spokesman Sanchez also said repealing the law has previously received bipartisan support in the House. Repeal legislation has passed the House twice, but failed in the Senate. State Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, said it’s time to try again. “The reason that I feel we
should never have passed it in the first place, (is) it opened up everybody coming into New Mexico to fraudulently obtain a driver’s license and then go elsewhere in the United said States,” Ezzell Wednesday.
“I look at it as a real threat to Americans whenever these people are allowed to come into New Mexico to get driver’s licenses.”
Accused reckless motorist booked at jail, released
See LICENSES, Page A6
BY TIMOTHY P. HOWSARE RECORD EDITOR
Submitted Photo
The All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs this year will feature the largest horse race purse ever for 2-year-olds and surpass the Kentucky Derby overall in payout, track officials say. The race on Labor Day, Sept. 7, will offer a $3 million purse, which will be a world record, according to a news release issued Wednesday by Ruidoso Downs. “This is a monumental event in the history of quarter horse racing,” said Shaun Hubbard, general manager at Ruidoso Downs, through the news release. “All of our fans, horsemen and quarter-horse racing will benefit. We especially appreciate the owners and trainers who participate in these races.” For a complete story, see today’s sports section.
Jonathan Caraveo, 27, of Artesia, the man arrested for causing a three-vehicle crash on North Main Street Tuesday that sent two women, a man and a 4year-old boy to the hospital, was being held early Wednesday at the Chaves County Detention Center on total bonds of $30,000. He was released later in the day but is still on bond, a jail official confirmed. Bonds of $10,000 each were set for great bodily injury by vehicle — reckless, a third-degree felony, reckless driving and no insurance. He was arrested on the three charges by the Roswell Police Department. The crash occurred at the intersection of North Main Street and Mescalero Road at 12:50 p.m., scattering debris over a large area and closing a section of North Main Street until 6 p.m.
Caraveo
The red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck Caraveo was driving came to stop nearly half a block north of the intersection, while a silver Toyota crashed into a tree on the east side of North Main Street next to the Subway and a white Chevrolet stopped on the other side of the street next to the Wells Fargo bank branch.
Buffalo Wild Wings Telemedicine brings therapy into rural homes flies into Roswell Behavior Change Institute began with one child’s needs STAFF REPORT
Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. is opening its newest location in Roswell on Monday, Jan. 19, bringing its famous wings, wide selection of premium, craft and domestic beers and sports-viewing atmosphere to local residents. “We are very excited to be bringing the Buf falo Wild Wings experience to Roswell and we look forward to becoming a part of this dynamic community,” said Bob Ruhland, vice
president of North America Marketing for Buffalo Wild Wings.
The Roswell Buffalo Wild Wings features wall-to-wall high-definition, flat-screen TVs for event and sports viewing. The company’s new restaurant design captures the energy of a sports stadium and creates a social and interactive local gathering place for sports fans, according to a released statement.
Cable ONE reaches an agreement with NBC SUBMITTED
Cable ONE, which provides service in Roswell, announced Wednesday that it has reached an agreement with NBC Universal to continue carriage of NBC Universal channels CNBC, MSNBC, USA, SyFy, Sprout, Bravo, Oxygen, NBC Sports, Telemundo, and Mun2. “We’ve been in negotiations with NBC Universal for the past several weeks and we’re pleased to be able to continue carriage of this network for our customers,” said Tom Might, Cable ONE
See WINGS, Page A3
CEO.
Might added, “Unfortunately, most cable and broadcast networks in the past few years have decided to raise the cost of their programming by astonishing amounts as they renegotiate new multi-year contracts with cable companies, at a time when viewership of their networks is declining at a rapid pace.
“This puts cable companies like Cable ONE in the very difficult position of passing through their large See AGREEMENT, Page A3
HIGH 45 LOW 23
TODAY’S FORECAST
See WRECK, Page A3
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Behavior Change Institute began with one child. Four years ago, Jordan Griffin of Alamogordo was diagnosed at the age of 2 with autism, and the closest provider of Applied Behavior Analysis therapy was nearly two hours away, making it nearly impossible for him to access in-home treatment at the clinically indicated intensity. “He is really the reason why we are in New Mexico, and he is the reason why I developed this model of telemedicine,” said Dr. Joy Pollard, CEO of Clinical Operations for Behavior Change Institute. Pollard is also the president-elect of the New Mexico Association for Behavior Analysis. Pollard is Jordan’s aunt, and she decided to develop a service delivery model using a hybrid of the traditional telemedicine approach. At the time, Jordan was exhibiting significant speech delays and prolonged tantrum behavior. Jordan’s behavior was so severe that his day care services were terminated and his mother had to leave her job in order to care for him. From those beginning
Submitted Photo
Behavior Technician, Carly Chapa, works with Jordan Griffin of Alamogordo a few years ago. The telemedicine approach to providing services to Jordan led to the founding of the Behavior Change Institute, which now offers Applied Behavior Analysis therapy for children with autism in Chaves County and rural New Mexico.
efforts to provide services for Jordan, Pollard developed the Behavior Change Institute, which brings board certified therapists and clinicians into the homes of children through the Internet.
Under this model, a local behavior technician was hired, trained, and supervised by a remote behavior analyst, said Pollard on Wednesday.
• FELIX A. LOMBARDI JR. • JOE DON SURSA • MICHAEL CHARLES MCCOOL
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
Jordan began receiving in-home therapy five days per week for two to three hours at a time. Over the course of his two-year treatment term, Jordan achieved marked improvement in language and social skills, which led to a significant reduction in challenging behavior.
Jordan’s parents Alex and Christan report that Jordan is now in the first
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B7 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....B6 FINANCIAL ..............B4
grade and is 100 percent included in a general education setting, where he receives minimal additional supports or accommodations, Pollard said. The family refers to the telemedicine model as a “second chance for families,” especially those residing in rural and underserved communities.
See INSTITUTE, Page A3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8