02 01 14 Roswell Daily Record

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Roswell Daily Record

Vol. 123, No. 28 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

February 1, 2014

www.rdrnews.com

SATURDAY

New polling places ready for mill levy election JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER

The mill levy election Tuesday to answer Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell’s request for additional property taxes has already drawn a surprising number of early voters. Chaves County Clerk Dave Kunko expects 25 percent of the district’s registered voters may turn out for the election. The last special school election only drew 5 percent. “It might be a decent tur nout for this type of election,” Kunko said. More than 5 percent of the 33,000 voters in the county — 1,730 — had already cast early ballots

as of Thursday night. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, but voters will face a new polling system. ENMU-R elected to use Voting Convenience Centers for its election. As a result, voters are not traditional assigned precinct locations. The locations were narrowed down to 10 sites, where anyone who has registered can choose to cast a ballot. Voters do not have to show identification, but poll workers might appreciate it if they had them available, Kunko said. “By law, you don’t have to, but we like it when you do,” Kunko said. “It’s easier to find people.” The county received

new computers and was expected to begin setting them up Friday and Monday, Kunko said. The new system is heavily reliant on Internet connections and back-up systems to ensure those who vote are immediately accounted for systemwide. “We have back-ups for the Internet,” Kunko said. “We’re going to be ready.” The mill levy election will be the first test in Chaves County for the Voting Convenience Center system. Chaves County Commissioners declined to implement the new system for its general election this year, electing to spend more time study-

Search continues for city attorney Steve Stone Graphic

See ELECTION, Page A3

Bird bath

JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER

Mark Wilson Photo

The city will re-advertise for an in-house city attorney after receiving only two applicants and hearing concer ns that it did not advertise sufficiently for the position. “Some concer n was expressed that we didn’t advertise widely enough,” said City Manager Larry Fry. “We always want to get as many applications as we can.” The city will re-advertise in the next few days. The process will take another 30 to 45 days before an attorney may be hired, Fry said. “Right now, we’re just trying to make sure everything is lined up and ready to advertise,” Fry said. “It would be very quickly.” Attorney Barbara Patterson’s contract has been

extended in the meantime. The city currently pays Patterson $12,784 a month, plus incidentals. Her contract stated that it could be extended if an inhouse attorney is not hired by Jan. 1. The position was advertised beginning Nov. 11, when City Councilors decided to stop paying for outside legal counsel. After advertising the job, the city received two resumes but returned both when they were submitted without an application, according to the city’s Human Resources director, Sheila Nuñez, in November. The job was advertised in the Roswell Daily Record, posted on the city’s website, a national job search site called indeed.com, with the New Mexico Municipal League and sent to Univer-

2 Dexter men killed Obama eases insistence on citizenship in head-on collision Birds take an early morning bath while searching for worms in a water puddle, Friday.

Two Dexter men were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. Refinery Road in Eddy County when a pickup truck hit the vehicle they were driving Friday morning. Jonathan Venegas, 20, and Julio Carreon, 33, of Dexter, were pronounced dead at the scene, about three miles south of U.S. 62 and U.S. 180. Two New Mexico State Police officers responded to the accident at 6:02 a.m. Police reported that Brad Williams, 36, of Carlsbad, was driving a Toyota Tundra

southbound when he veered into the northbound lane and struck the Ford Focus driven by Venegas. Williams told police he was trying to pass a water truck prior to the collision. Police could not confirm Williams’ statement, as the water truck was not located at the scene of the crash, according to a press release. Williams was taken to Carlsbad Medical Center for treatment. He was cited for careless driving and for not wearing his seatbelt, according to police. Alcohol did not contribute to the accident.

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — More Mexican gray wolves live in the wild in the Southwest than at any time since the federal government began reintroducing the endangered predator in the region, officials said Friday. An annual survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed at least 83 wolves are spread among forested lands in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. The population is nearly

double what it was in 2009. Last year, when the animals made their biggest stride, the survey turned up at least 75 wolves. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle said he was still concer ned the program faces hurdles but believes biologists have worked out a formula for managing the wolves that is starting to show dividends. Tuggle attributed the population increase to what scientists and managers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s new declaration that he’s open to legalizing many immigrants short of citizenship sounds a lot like House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders, an election-year compromise that numerous Republicans as well as Democrats crave. But the drive for the first overhaul in three decades still faces major resistance from many Republicans who are wary that the divisive issue could derail what they see as a smooth glide path to winning November’s con-

gressional elections. And they deeply distrust the Democratic president to enforce the law.

Just hours after Boehner pitched immigration to the GOP at a Maryland retreat, Obama suddenly indicated he would be open to legal status for many of the 11 million living here illegally, dropping his once-ironclad insistence on a special path to citizenship. Democrats, including Obama, and other immigration proponents have warned repeatedly about the creation of a two-tier class system.

Mexican gray wolf population on the rise

HIGH 67 LOW 35

TODAY’S FORECAST

have lear ned about the wolves since reintroduction began in 1998. “Whether we want to admit it or not, this is an experimental population and the wolves are teaching us as much as we’re trying to manage them,” he said. “We are taking advantage of the knowledge that we’ve had in terms of trying to focus on things like wildbor n pups and making sure that we keep an eye on the genetics.” A subspecies of the gray

wolf, the Mexican wolf was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976. The reintroduction effort has been hampered by politics, illegal killings and other factors. Disputes over management of the program have spurred numerous legal actions by environmentalists who have pushed for more wolves to be released and by ranchers who are concer ned about their livelihoods and safety in rural communities.

• MARJORIE HELEN ADAMS BENTLEY • BOB SNAITH

• JAMES WYLIE RODGERS

TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B4

“If the speaker proposes something that says right away, folks aren’t being deported, families aren’t being separated, we’re able to attract top young students to provide the skills or start businesses here, and then there’s a regular process of citizenship, I’m not sure how wide the divide ends up being,” Obama said in a CNN interview that was recorded Thursday and aired Friday.

Obama’s flexibility is a clear indication of the president’s desire to secure an elusive legislative achievement before

See SEARCH, Page A3

voters decide whether to hand him even more opposition in Congress. Republicans are expected to maintain their grip on the House and have a reasonable shot at grabbing the majority in the Senate. “I’m going to do everything I can in the coming months to see if we can get this over the finish line,” Obama said Friday of an immigration overhaul in a Google Plus Hangout talk. In an earlier compromise, Obama signaled late last year that he could See OBAMA, Page A3

AP Photo

This undated file image provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a Mexican gray wolf leaving cover at the Seviellta National Wildlife Refuge, north of Soccorro. CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3

INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A3 NATION ..................B4

OPINION .................A4 SPORTS .................B1

WEATHER ..............A8


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