Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 50 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
February 26, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
WEDNESDAY
Official: County not impacted by WIPP radiation RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Chaves County residents have no reason to be concer ned about the recent radiation leak from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, the county emergency manager said on Tuesday. “I spoke with the emergency manager of Eddy County and with WIPP officials yesterday,” said Karen Sanders, emergency manager for Roswell and Chaves County. “According to the current information, there will be no impact from the radiation on humans or the environment. The amounts are so low there is no reason for citizens to be con-
cerned.” Sanders said a meeting was held yesterday in Carlsbad with state and federal of ficials at the request of the Carlsbad mayor. “The mayor wanted to alleviate the concerns of residents,” Sanders said. An initial analysis of samples, from sensors inside and outside the plant, indicate a container leaked. But officials say it is unclear what caused the release, and it will likely be weeks before teams can get underground. WIPP is the nation’s first underground nuclear repository and the only facility in the country that can store plutonium-contaminated clothing and tools from Los Alamos
National Laboratory and other federal nuclear sites. The elevated amounts of radiation that have been detected in and around the plant of fer no more risk than a dental X-ray or an airline flight, officials said. Sanders said no radiation monitoring has been taking place in Chaves County or Roswell. Neither the county nor the city have radiation monitoring equipment readily available, she added. “We get our information from the WIPP site, and we are not monitoring the radiation,” Sanders said. If there were a radiation emergency, the county would receive equipment and assistance from the state and federal govern-
County completing hazard mitigation plan Chaves County and participating municipalities are completing a hazard mitigation plan.
Currently, it is in a draft format and is scheduled to be delivered to the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management by March 15. As part of the planning process, the public is welcome to provide input or
ment. “That’s how it works,” Sanders said. “If we have an emergency of any kind, we get assistance from the state and federal agencies.” The county has emergency operation plans in place and of ficials have access to resources, regardless of what type of
Pilots prepare
Pilot trainees prepare for flight at the Roswell International Air Center, Tuesday morning.
Mark Wilson Photo
ask questions during the final plan review meeting.
The planning team will hold open hours from 1-3 p.m. on March 11 at the Roswell/Chaves County Office of Emergency Management, located at 2800 Wilshire Blvd. For more information, call 624-6740.
emergency occurs. In the case of a radiation emergency, the county would need access to resources far above what is available locally, Sanders said. As far as the WIPP leak, Sanders said again that there is no reason for residents of Roswell and
Chaves County to be alarmed. “WIPP is very good at what they do, and they have been very forthcoming with information,” Sanders said. “They are trying to get out current and accurate information to people.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
service or elsewhere. “American Airlines provides regional service through a number of different carriers, and we don’t anticipate anything changing,” Miller said. There are three daily American Eagle flights from Roswell to Dallas, and that service is not contingent upon pilot agreement being reached, Miller said. “We have more than just American Eagle providing service.” In a letter to pilots, Eagle’s vice president of flight, Jim Winkley, said that after the rejection, American won’t give Eagle the 60 new Embraer aircraft it recently ordered and will place those planes with another regional airline. American is likely to
AA spokesman: Pilot contract won’t affect flights out of Roswell Troubles with the pilot union won’t affect American Eagle flights out of Roswell International Air Center, according to a spokesman for American Airlines. However, Fort Worth, Texas-based American Eagle is war ning that it expects to have trouble recruiting pilots because the American Airlines subsidiary is likely to have fewer planes. That is the fallout after leaders of the Air Line Pilots Association chapter rejected a contract offer from the company. Matt Miller, spokesman for American Airlines, said the company does not anticipate any impact to Roswell’s American Eagle
City to launch drone pilot training Ortega arrested, faces 4 charges JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
A private training site at the Roswell International Air Center plans to launch a new program to begin training pilots to fly government and law enforcement drones. Officials are expected to announce Friday the opening of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems pilot training center at MISTIC, a special 2,500-acre compound at the airport. Roswell-Chaves County Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Director John Mulcahy touted the importance of grabbing a piece of the
UAS market earlier this month. Airports in other cities were selected as drone bases to experiment with new designs. But Roswell has an opportunity to become a center to provide pilot training, maintenance and payload configuration for the aircraft, Mulcahy said. “I think Roswell has an extraordinary opportunity to be that place for all those three things,” Mulcahy said. “The opportunity for Roswell is real. It’s a very important economic factor.” The center’s primary goal is to provide pilots to fly three types of drones:
NM health computer system ranked as high risk by feds
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — New Mexico was among the states rated as “high risk” after government security experts reviewed the vulnerability of computer systems being used to roll out President Barack Obama’s health care law.
But officials in charge of implementing New Mexico’s insurance marketplace questioned those findings Tuesday.
They say New Mexico is
still developing a state-run exchange for individuals, and the marketplace created for small businesses, employees and insurance providers isn’t linked to the federal data system.
New Mexico exchange spokeswoman Debra Hammer says there’s still an opportunity to learn from the experience of other states as New Mexico prepares to bring its individual exchange online in October.
HIGH 54 LOW 35
TODAY’S FORECAST
the SkyRanger, a small drone for industrial inspections and law enforcement surveillance; the SandShark, used for military and government agencies; and the Diamond DA42 (also known as The Condor), a fixedwing craft that can fly for 10 hours and cover 1,000 nautical miles. Pilots will learn how to fly the drones through computer training and practical experience. The operations center has six, 1,000-foot runways, according to a video presentation released by Strategic Aerospace InterSee DRONE, Page A3
Police arrested James A. Ortega, 23, Sunday, after officers located him in the 300 block of North Virginia Avenue hanging on to a 15year-old youth. According to Roswell Police Department release, of ficers responded to a commercial alarm at Bullock’s Jewelry, 215 N. Main St. When the officials arrived, they found the glass door had been smashed with a rock. As patrol searched the area, they found Ortega. The 15-year -old told officers that Ortega approached as the teen retur ned to the Liberty from his vehicle. Ortega said he had a gun and demanded the youth’s wal-
let. After robbing the teenager, Ortega fled on foot, smacked into a pole, and subsequently fell. When he got to his feet, he grabbed the youth by the neck. A search revealed items in Ortega’s possession that potentially link him to three vehicle burglaries that occurred in the Liberty parking lot. He is now charged with kidnapping, robbery, intimidation of a witness, and vehicle burglary. He is considered a person of interest in the criminal damage case at Bullock’s Jewelry. Replacement and repair costs for the shattered glass door
See CONTRACT, Page A3
Ortega
were estimated between $700 to $1,000 in damages. No one was injured during the incident.
Health law presents cybersecurity challenges
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Obama administration raced to meet its selfimposed deadline for online health insurance markets, security experts working for the government worried that state computer systems could become a back door for hackers. Documents provided to The Associated Press show that more than two-thirds of state systems that were supposed to tap into federal computers to verify sensitive personal information
• BOBBIE JO SMITH • ROSE L. TRUJILLO
for coverage were initially rated as “high risk” for security problems. Back-door attacks have been in the news, since the hackers who stole millions of customers’ credit and debit card numbers from Target are believed to have gained access through a contractor’s network. The administration says the documents offer only a partial and “outdated” snapshot of an improving situation, and the security problems cited were either
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A8
resolved or are being addressed through specific actions. No successful cyberattacks have taken place, officials say. However, the issues detailed in documents and emails provided by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reveal broader concer ns than the federal Health and Human Services department has previously acknowledged. They show a frenzied behind-the-scenes juggling act by officials and con-
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B7 COMICS .................B6 ENTERTAINMENT .....B7 FINANCIAL ..............B4
tractors as the Oct. 1 deadline for new health insurance exchanges loomed. Instead of providing a showcase for President Barack Obama, the launch of his health care law became a case study in how big technology projects can go of f the rails.
In order to connect to federal computers, state and other outside systems must undergo a security review and receive an “authority to connect.”
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10
WORLD ..................A7