Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 124, No. 25 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
January 29, 2015
THURSDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Three seek seats on Hagerman School Board
By Randal Seyler Record City Editor
Three candidates are running for open positions on the Hagerman School Board elections set for next Tuesday. Lois Wilson Stephens, Heidi Gray and Destry Moss are seeking to serve on the school board for the first time. Board members Cody Munson, Trey Lilly and James Hollmann are leaving the board. Elections for the Hagerman School Board are Feb. 3. Voters may cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
on Feb. 3. Voting in Hagerman will be held at the Town Hall, located at 209 E. Argyle. The Roswell Daily Record reached out to all the school board candidates in Chaves County. The following are answers to a candidate questionnaire compiled by the Roswell Daily Record.
Why are you the best candidate for the school board? Ms. Stephens: “I am a good candidate for the school board because I care about the quality of education the
students in our rural community receive.” Ms. Gray: “I feel a school board member should have a vested interest in the school, the students, the teachers, the administration and the community and they need to understand the customs and cultures of the school district so that they can meet the needs of the district when creating policies.” “They should be willing to learn what legislation is being passed down to the district and how each facet of the district is affected
and how to help foster an environment that encourages participation between the school, the parents and the community. “Most importantly, I believe my number one goal in becoming a school board member should be to do what I can to better the educational experience for the students, the parents, the teachers and the administration,” Gray said. “I will do my best to fulfill the above mentioned criteria and that is why I am a good candidate for the Hag-
See HAGERMAN, Page A3
Gray
Moss
Councilors to
GHS students learn about RPD
meet, discuss film festival funding
By Randal Seyler Record City Editor
Submitted Photo The Roswell Police Department participated in the Career Fair held Wednesday at Goddard High School. RPD personnel discussed with interested juniors and seniors the opportunities for and benefits of a career with the police department. Representing RPD at the event were, from left, School Resource Officer Helen Cheromiah, Recruiting Officer Lisa Brackeen, Officer Tracy Mounts and Police Service Aide Narciso Santillan. Anyone who would like more information about working in law enforcement or applying at the police department can call Officer Brackeen at 575-624-6770 ext. 108.
City Councilors will meet tonight in a special council meeting to discuss the $51,000 funding request from the Roswell Filmfest and Cosmicon. The city Finance Committee approved the funding request on Jan. 20, and the City Council is considering the question in a special meeting to expedite the process so event planners can begin working on securing guest speakers. Elaine Mayfield, director of Spring River Park and Zoo, and Alan Trever, media arts instructor at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, represented the event before the Finance Committee last week. “This is actually three events,” Trever said. “We have the Film Fest, the Film Shootout, and the Cosmicon.” The Film Shootout is a competition in which filmmakers shoot
a 12-minute film in a short time. The Film Fest is an event at which sci-fi films from around the world are shown. And the Cosmicon is a sci-fi, fantasy event that features comic artists, merchandise and collectibles, in conjunction with the Roswell UFO Festival. “Last year, I was impressed with the number of people (who) attended,” said City Councilor and Finance Committee Member Jason Perry. “Putting heads in beds is the purpose of the Lodger’s Tax, and I know a number of the people attending last year spent a significant amount of time here just preparing for the event.” Other items to be considered at the special council meeting include a bid to Smithco Construction Inc. in the amount of $1,866 for the replacement of a 36-inch water line. The councilors will also discuss a resolution in supSee COUNCIL, Page A2
Board approves Pirtle offers bill to end time changes funding requests By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
By Randal Seyler Record City Editor
The city’s Occupancy Tax Board met on Tuesday to also consider funding for other upcoming events, including more than $78,000 for the Senior Olympics. The Board also discussed Lodger’s Tax requests from the Milkman Triathlon and the Roswell Road Race series. The board members recommended approval for the upcoming events, which now move on to the Finance Committee for a final recommendation in
February before going on to the full City Council. Lodger’s Tax funding is provided for events to help pay for advertising and promotion expenses, and is reimbursed to the events after all the receipts and reports are received. “The Road Race series brings runners from all over the country and even the world,” said Bob Edwards, representative of the Roswell Runners Club. “We’ve had people come from Japan, Norway, France … but we haven’t had anyone from Egypt in a See BOARD, Page A3
State Sen. Cliff Pirtle will host a news conference today about a bill he’s introducing that would keep New Mexico on the same time yearround. Pirtle, R-Roswell, says the bill would end the confusion of setting clocks back an hour in the fall and forward an hour in the spring. Pirtle’s bill would place the state on Daylight Saving Time year-round. “Springing forward, falling back, it is an unnecessary inconvenience,” Pir-
Today’s Forecast
HIGH 58 LOW 36
tle said Wednesday. “Let’s stay on Daylight Saving Time for eight months and not return to Standard Time for only four months. No one likes changing clocks twice a year, so
from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time and found the time change was made to save lamp oil and to help farmers and ranchers. Pirtle said farmers and ranchers work from sunrise to sunset, regardless of what the clock reads. “We in New Mexico like the longer hours of daylight in the afternoons and we don’t want to change back for only four months,” Pirtle said. Pirtle’s Senate bill to be introduced today, Stay on Daylight Saving Time, would keep New Mexico on what is Mountain
See PIRTLE, Page A3
Panelists at UNM promote openness By Moriah Carty New Mexico Daily Lobo
Sergio Jiménez Photo/New Mexico Daily Lobo Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs, left, and Jill Pilgrim, owner and founder of Pilgrim & Associates, speak after the sexual assault panel inside the SUB Atrium on Thursday. Pilgrim presented her team’s final report on UNM’s handling of previous sexual assault cases on campus during the panel.
Pirtle
let’s stop doing it.” Pirtle said changing clocks twice a year — both physical and biological — no longer makes sense. He said the changes can also be dangerous. “I have seen reports that show changing the time twice a year has an adverse effect on people’s health,” Pirtle said. “When the time changes, people experience more mishaps, accidents and even more heart attacks. Sometimes, no change is good.” Pirtle said most New Mexicans don’t know why the state changes its clocks. He said he researched the original reasons behind changing
ALBUQUERQUE — The panelists on the Sexual Violence Assessment Report Q&A panel presented many different ideas on how to decrease real or perceived instances of sexual violence on campus, but they all boiled down to one thing: Better communication. Jill Pilgrim, whose firm conducted the study that lead to the report, suggested that students start
believing people who claim they’ve been assaulted, listen with openness and offer help. Pilgrim reminded audience members that it is not solely the job of the University to make campus safe, but that students carry the responsibility to be conscious of sexual violence and report it. Rita Smith, a national expert on violence against women, emphasized the importance of communication between students,
Today’s Obituaries Page B3
• Bobby Joe Cox
• Eva Nadine Aguilera
as well as being more open and receptive to any mention of sexual violence. Oftentimes this violence occurs within an established relationship, in which students may not know how or if they have been assaulted or how to tell a partner “no,” Smith said. Collecting evidence can help students who have been victimized to receive the help they need. Smith also stressed that even if an incident does not take place on campus, students can still
receive aid from University resources. Students should always communicate with the campus if they feel threatened, she said. Several representatives from the UNM Women’s Resource Center and the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico attended the Q&A. WRC Director Summer Little said the center will resume training sessions regarding sexual violence every Thursday, starting in February.
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Index General...............A2
Opinion.................A4
Comics..................A6
Horoscopes.........B6
Sports. ................B1
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