01-26-12 PAPER

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Roswell Daily Record

Vol. 121, No. 22 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

GIFFORDS’ FAREWELL TO CONGRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — The applause rolled through the big chamber, growing ever louder as hundreds of Republicans and Democrats suddenly realized Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was back in the House.

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

January 26, 2012

THURSDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Legislature to consider driver’s license bill

JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER The House Labor and Human Resources Committee, of which Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, is a member, will meet today to hear one bill sponsored by Rep. Andy Nunez’s, IHatch, which enables only those with a social security number to be eligible to obtain a driver’s license. The bill, House Bill 103, includes a message from the governor, signaling her approval. “It’s for the safety and welfare of the citizens of the state of New Mexico,” Ezzell

said. The driver’s license issue was at the forefront of the governor’s agenda and the topic of many heated discussions during the legislative special session in September. On Tuesday, Ezzell said she visited with several people from the Roswell area, who had travelled to the Roundhouse to speak with her about the driver’s license issue. “They said I had to oppose appealing that (driver’s license) law (put into place under Gov. Richardson’s administration.) My obligation and my oath of

Scenic New Mexico

office requires me to protect and do what is right for the citizens who elected me to this position,” Ezzell said. “After they made their comments, I said I respectfully disagree with you. This is a national security problem. It puts us at risk.” One reason given to Ezzell in favor of opposing the appealing of the law was that it would tear families apart. On day seven of the session, there was relatively little, if any, movement from the House Rules Committee. Any bill without a specific message from the

governor is designated to the rules committee. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, 63 bills were assigned to the committee. If there is any question of whether a bill is germane, those bills must also go to the rules committee. Expressing his frustration in the slow progress, Rep. Dennis Kintigh, RRoswell, said, “We’ve had stuff that was pre-filed and was all read a week ago, it was sent to rules. We could’ve (had) hearings starting at the end of last week or beginning of next week.” On Monday, the House

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TOP 5 WEB

For The Past 24 Hours

•Bronco men pick up win •Donaldson: King ‘memorable’ speaker •RCLT celebrates new home by singing •Ruidoso man goes missing •Wood, tax consultant, running for Ward II

INSIDE SPORTS

Mark Wilson Photo

A road sign warns motorists of a 90 degree turn on S. Nevada Road with the snow-covered Sierra Blanca mountains looming in the background, Wednesday morning.

A daring raid, and U.S., Danish hostages on way home

COLTS HIRE PAGANO AS HEAD COACH INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts hired Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as their new head coach on Wednesday. The team said Pagano will be introduced at a news conference... - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Dorothy Sue LaMance • Marilyn T. Joyce Easterling

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HIGH ...60˚ LOW ....30˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B5 FINANCIAL .............B4 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOCAL..................A6 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION..................B3 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8

INDEX

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Held captive since last fall, an ailing American woman and a Danish man are safely on their way home after a bold, dark-of-night rescue by U.S. Navy SEALs. The commandos slipped into a Somali encampment, shot and killed nine captors and whisked the hostages to freedom. The raid’s success was welcome news for the hostages and their families, for the military and for President Barack Obama, who was delivering his State of the Union speech as the mission was wrapping up Tuesday night. He did not mention it in his address but dropped a hint upon arriving in the House chamber by telling Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, “Good job

tonight.” It was the second splashy SEAL Team 6 success in less than a year, following last May’s killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The SEALs apparently encountered some degree of resistance from the kidnappers at the encampment. One U.S. of ficial said Wednesday that there was a firefight but the length and extent of the battle were unclear. Pentagon spokesmen said they could not confir m a gun battle, although one defense official said it was likely that the SEALs killed the kidnappers rather than capture them because they encountered armed resistance or the threat of resistance. The Pentagon was mostly tight-lipped about

details on Wednesday, citing a need to preserve the secrecy that can give SEALs and other special operations forces an edge against the terrorists, criminals and others they are ordered to kill or capture around the world under hazardous and often hostile conditions. Special operations forces, trained for clandestine, small-team missions, have become a more prominent tool in the military’s kit since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The Obama administration is expected to announce on Thursday that it will invest even more heavily in that capability in coming years. After planning and rehearsal, the Somalia rescue was carried out by SEAL Team 6, officially known as the Naval Spe-

cial Warfare Development Group, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a secret mission. The same outfit did the bin Laden mission, the biggest counter-terror success of Obama’s presidency. It was not clear whether any team members participated in both operations. One of ficial said the SEALs parachuted from U.S. Air Force aircraft before moving on foot, apparently undetected, to the outdoor encampment where they found American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Hagen Thisted, a 60-year -old Dane, who had been kidnapped in Somalia last fall. The raid happened near the town of Adado.

See SOMALIA, Page A3

Oropesa, Ward I contender, focuses on city growth, accountability JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER Juan Oropesa, former executive director of the Roswell Hispano Chamber of Commerce, said he is running for the Ward I City Council seat during the municipal election in March. Councilor Bob Maples currently represents the ward. A resident of Roswell for 42 years, Oropesa decided to run a second time for council because, “Roswell has been good to me. I want to do everything possible, that I can, to move Roswell forward.” Oropesa first ran for council during the March 2010 elections. Oropesa became executive director of the RHCC in May 2005 and resigned on Dec. 22, 2011. “Based on my experience with the Hispano Chamber, I see the need

Juan Oropesa

for the city to support initiatives to work with and support the small businesses as they do the big business,” he said. He decided to resign from the RHCC because he has, “other things on my plate that I want to address.”

Describing himself as a proponent of kids, Oropesa said he is involved in various youth organizations. He helps with various sports leagues, is a member of the Character Counts! board and through his role with the RHCC was part of the initiative behind the antibullying campaign, which launched in 2011. Oropesa listed economic development as a priority, if elected. As a member of the municipal infrastructure gross receipts tax committee, Oropesa is supportive of the mayor’s proposal to add a MIGRT to the city’s current GRT. “When you look at the big picture of what it’s capable of doing for Roswell, it will hopefully be able to attract businesses to come into Roswell and create the higher than minimum

wage jobs that we hope to have here.” Oropesa listed several infrastructure issues that need to be addressed by the city. He said the sidewalks on the east side of town and lighting throughout the city, are in need of renovation. “Roswell is growing to the north, northwest. We have parts of Roswell that were here since Roswell was initiated,” Oropesa said. “We should do everything possible to encourage growth in all parts of Roswell. Growth in the south would not only benefit Roswell but also encourage individuals from the communities of Dexter, Hagerman, Lake Arthur and even Artesia to shop in Roswell.” Believeing in accountability of gover nment, Oropesa said, “A trans-

See OROPESA, Page A3

was adjourned subject to the call of the chair. The rules committee declared that many of the messages submitted by the governor, that were attached to certain bills, were too broad for their liking. Messages, “are special communications from the gover nor saying I know this is a 30day session but I want you to consider bills on this subject as well,” Kintigh said. During his tenure as a legislator, Kintigh said he doesn’t remember there ever being such a struggle

Egpytian rallies mark anniversary

See LICENSE, Page A3

CAIRO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians thronged major squares across Egypt on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, in rallies that turned into a show of strength by secular groups in their competition with the country’s powerful Islamists over demands for an end to military rule. Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 18 days protests against of Mubarak, was transformed into the focal point of the rivalry between revolutionary activists who want to show they can still mobilize the street and the Muslim Brotherhood, who emerged as Egypt’s dominant politiSee EGYPT, Page A3

Local doctor remembered

JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER The Roswell community is inevitably suffering the loss of one of its own; a woman, who under President Harry T ruman was appointed to be a second lieutenant in the Ar my Nurse Corps of the U.S. Army. Dr. Joann Levitt passed away in her Roswell home on Jan. 22, at the age of 86. In 1973 Levitt arrived in Roswell, following her husband, Col. Robert J. Levitt, to his new assignment at the New Mexico Military Institute. Levitt and her four children, Robert, Patricia, William and Richard, were accustomed to traveling frequently in order to be with their father, and to keep their family together. Roswell became Levitt’s final home, as Robert’s assignment lasted for many years. Upon her arrival to the city, Levitt joined Roswell Anesthesia Associates to begin her practice in anesthesiology. Kathy Rumbaugh, Levitt’s longtime friend and business manager, remembers the first time she met Levitt. When Levitt first walked into the RAA office where Rumbaugh was working at the time, she was sporting red high-top tennis shoes. “She was just this vibrant person who was always herself. Wherever she was, whatever she did, she was always herself,” Rumbaugh said. The daughter of Forrest and Frances Gorton from Plymouth, Mich., Levitt followed in her mother and sister Carrie’s career footsteps, as they were both nurses. Levitt became the first graduate of Plymouth High School to become a See LEVITT, Page A3


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