01-11-12 RDR NEWS

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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 121, No. 9 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

GEITHNER IN BEIJING

BEIJING (AP) — China and the United States have pledged during a visit by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to cooperate on boosting the global economic recovery, but Chinese backing for U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil industry appeared unlikely. China buys almost onethird of Iran’s oil exports ... - PAGE A2

TOP 5 WEB

For The Past 24 Hours

• Fresquez to run for new term... • Dexter Elementary, 4-H join in festivities • Ryan Edward Stevenson, Roswell’s... • Local briefs: RHS stays undefeated • Rockets capitalize on chances for win

INSIDE SPORTS

IS TEBOW THAT EASY TO BEAT?

Judge halts oil and gas pit rule appeals

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A state district judge on Tuesday sided with New Mexico’s oil and gas industry, putting on hold legal appeals related to efforts by the industry to revamp rules for handling drilling and production wastes. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association had asked for the appeals process to be halted so the state Oil Conservation Commission could tackle the so-called pit rule administratively. The commission has scheduled a weeklong hearing later this month to

Oil and gas producers, some state lawmakers and a task force appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez have backed regulatory changes to make the state more business-friendly.

address industry’s proposed changes to the rule, but environmentalists are seeking to stop the proceeding. Eric Jantz, an attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, said he was disappointed the appellate process will not

be able to unfold. Instead, he said the industry is taking advantage of a change in the political climate since the pit rule was first adopted by the commission. “There’s an administration change and they run back,” he said of the indus-

It’s not déjà vu — incumbents are, for the most part, standing by their posts, making the names on filing day’s roster oddly familiar. Jan. 10 was filing day for the city of Roswell — and as 5 p.m. approached so did the last chance to turn in an application to run for City Council. At the end of the day, however, few stepped up to run against incumbents — one from every city ward is seeking re-election. Bob Maples, Steve Henderson, Judy Stubbs, Amarante Fresquez and Elena Velasquez are all hoping to represent wards 1 through 5, respectively. New names include Juan Oropesa, longtime executive director of the Roswell Hispano Chamber of Commerce, who’s expressed interest in representing Ward I. Billy Wood has done the same for Ward II. Jeanine Corn Best has signed up to represent Ward III. Ward IV is the most contested, with Milburn Dolen and Savi-

Mark Wilson Photo

City Councilor Bob Maples files candidacy paperwork for the Roswell Municipal Election, Tuesday afternoon, as City Clerk Dave Kunko looks on.

no Sanchez Jr. expressing an interest to represent it. Velasquez is the only name on the roster for

Ward V. Municipal Judge Larry Loy has only one opponent, Kevin Utterback Roe.

Early voting begins Feb. 15. Election day is March 6. Elected officials will be swor n in March 12.

Traffic stop arrest

OBITUARIES

HIGH ...64˚ LOW ....25˚

try. “The danger here is we end up on this endless cycle of rulemakings, appeals and then more rulemaking without ever having any real resolution.” The pit rule was initially approved by the Oil Conservation Commission under for mer Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration in 2008. The rule governs how oil and gas producers around the state handle wastes from drilling operations in buried tanks, sumps, pits and closedloop systems. The regulations are

aimed at preventing wastes from seeping into groundstreams and water, arroyos. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico have both filed applications with the commission to amend the rule. The industry maintains the proposed changes are designed to make oil and gas producers, especially small-scale operations,

Incumbents, plus, file for election Romney wins N.H.

TODAY’S

TODAY’S FORECAST

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Bury the blueprints on how to thwart Tim Tebow. He can beat you with his arm as well as his legs. The formula up until last weekend was to stack the box and dare him to beat you with all those errant passes. But coming off his worst game as a pro ... - PAGE B1

• Verna MacCallum • Lula Mae Watkins • Billy “Bill” Prince • Elizabeth Gary • Teresa Sue Vincent • Utah Gordon Dennis • Dixie Dan Goodert - PAGE A3, A6

January 11, 2012

Mark Wilson Photo

Paramedics treat a man identified by police as David Gomez for a small laceration to his face following a traffic stop Tuesday in which police reported Gomez, a passenger, fled on foot. The vehicle stop occurred in the 1500 block of South Kentucky Avenue. Gomez was apprehended in an alley several blocks to the west of the traffic stop and arrested for outstanding warrants.

See JUDGE, Page A3

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Mitt Romney cruised to a solid victory in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night, picking up steam from his first-place finish in the lead-off Iowa caucuses and firmly establishing himself as the man to beat for the Republican presidential nomination. “Tonight we made history,” Romney told cheering supporters before pivoting to a stinging denunciation of President Barack Obama. “The middle class has been crushed,” in the past three years, he said, “our debt is too high and our opportunities too few” — remarks that made clear he intends to be viewed as the party’s nominee in waiting after only two contests. His rivals said otherwise, looking ahead to South Carolina on Jan. 21 as the best place to stop the former Massachusetts governor. Already, several contenders and committees supporting them had put down heavy money to reserve time for television advertising there. Even so, the order of finish — Ron Paul second, followed by Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum — scrambled the field and prolonged the increasingly desperate competition to See ROMNEY Page A3

Man dies in custody Robin Harney, 57, died in police custody, Monday, after the Roswell Police Department responded to a criminal trespass call from Albertsons, 1110 S. Main St. RPD spokesman Sgt. Jim Preston said that the RPD had received a number of calls about Har ney, who would arrive at the store intoxicated. Harney had been warned not to return to the store. Criminal trespass consists of entering a place when permission to enter or remain has been denied or withdrawn by the owner. Of ficials picked up Har ney and took him directly to Chaves County Detention Center. When the of ficers attempted to take Harney out of the vehicle,

Robin Harney

they discovered he was not breathing. He was taken to Eastern New Mexico Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The body has been sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator at University of New Mexico in AlbuSee CUSTODY, Page A3

Elena Velasquez seeks re-election to Ward V council seat JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER

CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

Courtesy Photo

Elena Velasquez

City Councilwoman Elena Velasquez, who’s witnessed the development of Roswell since the 1960s, says she is seeking re-election to her Ward V seat during the municipal election in March. Velasquez was first appointed to the council in 2004 by then-Mayor Bill Owen. Velasquez and her husband Adan run their 41year old business, Adan’s

Collision Center, two blocks from where she grew up. Velasquez highlighted the council’s recent vote regarding redistricting, which established two majority-minority voting wards, to be its most important decision during her tenure. “I really appreciate the City Council supporting me in my efforts to get the two wards. We got the votes that we needed and that was important. It sends a positive message to the minority community,” she said. Velasquez also praised members of the

council for their diligent efforts to keep the Youth ChalleNGe program in Roswell. Velasquez has also been very involved with youth ministry, which “gives me an insight to programs like Youth ChalleNGe, and how those kinds of programs can make a lifelong impact on a young person,” she said. She is also involved with prison ministries, which “helps me to understand both sides of law enforcement and also the individual that is out there really struggling and ends

up in that lifestyle. We have to reach out to try to have a way of helping them to get out of that lifestyle,” she said. If she is re-elected, Velasquez hopes to continue to build upon the city’s economic development programs and efforts. “I believe Roswell has a good economic development plan. We’re very aggressive in going after companies to try to get more jobs into Roswell,” she said. She See VELASQUEZ, Page A3


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01-11-12 RDR NEWS by Roswell Daily Record - Issuu