Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 124, No. 28 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
February 1, 2015
SUNDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Mayor Kintigh discusses gas prices, film festival
Staff Report
First we have a question from a caller. Was there any follow up on a city audit that found 28 firefighters falsifying time cards? Will they be prosecuted? “The last audit we had a finding that there were some irregularities on time sheets but it wasn’t 28 if I remember right, my understanding is there was disciplinary action taken, nobody was prosecuted but that was in the audit that came out right after I got elected. I know there has been another audit but I don’t recall seeing the final results on that but the one I do know about had the firefighter time sheet issue — what it was, that basi-
cally informal, or unsanctioned comp time, salaried employees who worked extra hours and so they were taking time off. Well the reality is if you’re salaried, you don’t get comp time. It is actually as a city policy we don’t have comp time. There was disciplinary action but I don’t know what it was, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell you who was involved. That is what I know about that, and it wasn’t 28, it was two.” Is the city doing anything about the abundance of temporary signs around town, such as the Icon Cinema signs? And do you think they look tacky?
“Interesting question. We had a, and I couldn’t begin to tell you all the details, a sign ordinance a while back that my understanding is it got a little bit carried away. I think there are some legitimate issues with signs looking tacky and cluttered, and the new city manager and I have both commented about it. We need to look at it as some type of ordinance that would be appropriate but I am not a huge fan of trying to overregulate. Temporary signs should have a limited life span and stuff up on fences is a little bit tacky. Formal signs for businesses I think we need to be flexible but if you are doing a tacky little, for example,
political signs, we can only have those out for what five days 10 days after election and then you are supposed to collect them all.”
Will the county’s $290 million solar project take the place of the solar project that was proposed for the city property near Church on the Move? “They were two different proposals and this is my understanding: Xcel Energy put out an RFP for some solar farms with a very short response period and there was one group that was looking at the acreage near the Church on the Move, and this is a different group than was up
Randal Seyler Photo
See MAYOR, Page A3
Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh gestures as he speaks to members of the Roswell Daily Record’s editorial staff Thursday.
Museum kicks off arts classes for autistic kids
Mom concerned for special needs son during school
By Dylanne Petros Record Staff Writer
Max Scally Photos Above: Michael Hall, RMAC executive director works with parents and students on their art projects. Right: Avery Smith is excited about her painting project. Staff Report The Roswell Museum and Art Center is now holding art classes for families with autistic children. Education Curator Claudia Gonzalez said the classes will attract new, diverse crowds while serving the needs of the community.
The RMAC classes are in partnership with the New Mexico Autism Society. “This is not just an art class in multiple mediums but a form to introduce children with special needs to new levels of self-confidence,” she said. “This new adventure began on Saturday
and will now run for three months as a pilot program.” For more information,
Sanders in the running to become Dexter school b o a r d member
Why are you the best candidate for the school board? I am looking forward to joining and enhancing an already successful board and program. I have no
See BULLYING, Page A7
Play time
their school age years in Dexter which gives me a wide range of experience from elementary through high school. I believe that not only do we build successful students in the classroom but in all facets of the school experience such as athletics, organizations and environment. The classroom is just the foundation for building a successful student.
Staff Report
Jared Sanders is running for election to the Dexter Consolidated Schools school board. The election will be held Feb. 3, and voters may cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Daily Record asked Sanders to comment on issues affecting not only their school district, but education in general. Following are his responses:
contact Gonzalez at education@roswellmuseum. org or by calling 575-6246744 ext. 22.
A fourth-grader at Valley View Elementary School is being bullied so frequently he now is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has a service dog, according to his mother. “(My son’s) been bullied because he is different,” said Rachel Watson, the mother of the special education student. Watson said her son has been bullied since he was at Head Start and it has gotten worse over the years. “In third grade he was held down at El Capitan (Elementary) on the bus by three boys and they cut him across the arms,” she said. “It was caught on camera and nothing was done because they were young.” Watson said the bullying happens because her son is less cognitively developed
than the other fourth graders, working at a 7-year-old level, and it is easy to target him. “Four out of five days he is telling me he is getting physically and mentally bullied,” she said. On Nov. 19, Watson received a call from the school principal, Mona Kirk, saying her son had picked up a chair in class. “(The school) made it sound like (my son) was going to harm someone and he was a danger to the other students when it was really the other way around,” she said. After receiving the call, Watson went to Valley View and spoke with Kirk. “I decided that since he was getting bullied I’m going to sit in class,” Watson said. “The principal raised a stink. She said you can only stay one time without getting a back-
Sanders intentions of taking in my own agenda. But I know that my experiences as a parent and community member could bring insight into many topics. My children have spent most of
Have you been involved in the school district in the past, either as a parent, teacher or volunteer? I have been involved in Dexter Schools mainly as See SANDERS, Page A7
Today’s Forecast
HIGH 52 LOW 30
Rehearsals are in full swing for the Way Way Off Broadway Theatre company’s first production, “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” From left, Julie Washichek, Summer Souza, Zach Fuller and Tony Souza star in this musical comedy about love and relationships. Shows are scheduled on Feb. 13, 14, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the ENMU-Roswell Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased at showtix4u.com.
Veterans’ driver Bill Jones driven by faith By Jeff Tucker Record Staff Writer
Jeff Tucker Photo Bill Jones enjoys the comfort of one of the new Toyota Sienna vans of the Southeast New Mexico Veterans Transportation Network. Jones, who also volunteers for CASA, said his faith sparks his desire to volunteer.
Rey Berrones Photo
Bill Jones beams with pride sitting in one of the new vans recently acquired by the Southeast New Mexico Veterans Transportation Network, a Roswell-based group dedicated to transporting veterans to medical appointments. The volunteer driver
says taking local veterans to medical appointments is one of his passions. “Besides my family and church. I have two passions, kids and veterans, and I try to do what I can to help both of them,” Jones said. “I do it because of the love of helping these people out. I drive usually about every other week.” Jones is one of about 30 volunteer drivers for the SNMVTN, which in 2014 logged more than 187,000 miles transporting
Today’s Obituaries Page B6
• Ruby Wheeler • William Calvin Fleming • Joe Head
• Barney C. Jobe • Eva Nadine Aguilera • Kathleen W. Lemke
1,413 veterans to medical appointments in Albuquerque, Amarillo and El Paso, Texas, and elsewhere. While the rides to Albuquerque and other distant locations are several hours long, Jones said interacting with the veterans is both an honor and a pleasure. Sometimes, the veterans tell war stories. Other times, Jones said the conversation can be a little amusing. “I was fortunate enough going to Albuquerque one
day to have two World War II vets,” Jones recalled. “Neither one of them could hear worth a flip. I think the conversation started out with, ‘So, when were you in the service?’ The other fellow said, ‘No, my first car was a Chevy.’ “And that’s the way the conversation went the whole way. I stayed in stitches the whole time. Sometimes I was laughing so hard I couldn’t say any-
Index
See JONES, Page A2
Classifieds...........D1
Horoscopes.........D2
Sports. ................B1
Comics..................B7
Lotteries. ............A2
Weather...............A8
General...............A2
Opinion.................A4
Vistas...................C1