Roswell Daily Record
Ryan’s budget a slasher
Vol. 122, No. 62 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans redoubled their ef forts to roll back signature accomplishments of President Barack Obama on Tuesday, offering a slashing budget plan that would repeal new health care subsidies and cut spending across a wide swath of programs dear to Obama and his Democratic allies. VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Tuesday, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics and their troubled church. Surrounded by Michelangelo’s imposing frescoes imagining the beginning and the end of the world ... - PAGE A9
NOT YET
The GOP plan was immediately rejected by the White House as an approach that “just doesn’t add up” and would harm America’s middle class. Obama has rebuffed simi-
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
March 13, 2013
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
lar plans two years in a row and ran strongly against the ideas when winning reelection last year — when its chief author, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was on the Republican ticket.
Ryan’s budget illustrates the stark differences in the visions of tea party-backed Republicans and Obama and his Democratic allies about the size and role of gover nment — with no obvious avenues for compromise. Senate Democrats are responding with a milder plan that would repeal
Spring starts in a week
automatic spending cuts that began to take effect earlier this month while offering $100 billion in new spending for infrastructure and job training. The Democratic counter won’t be of ficially unveiled until today, but its rough outlines were described by aides. They spoke only on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to describe it publicly.
That plan by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, DSee RYAN, Page A3
AP Photo
State Senate passes budget
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaks about the 2014 Budget Resolution during a press conference on Capitol Hill, Tuesday.
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Accident claims dog’s life • RPD seeks persons of interest in fatal ... • Fatal fire • Names of fire victims released by SO • Roswell boys cruise into quarterfinals
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
New Mexico Youth ChalleNGe cadets line up for lunch at the ENMU-R Campus Union near late-winter blossoms, Tuesday.
The state Senate unanimously passed Tuesday a $5.9 billion budget that must now go to the House of Representatives for concurrence. However, House Minority Whip Rep. Nate Gentry, RAlbuquerque, said in a statement the House Minority Caucus will not concur on the Senate budget “because it is seriously flawed.” The House passed its version of the budget in February, which Gentry said included provisions
Child abuse trial opens State revokes Lawrence’s license JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
ROSWELL GIRLS HOLD OFF GALLUP
ALBUQUERQUE — Executing when it matters is something that doesn’t come easy to young basketball teams. It’s a process learned over time. The Roswell girls basketball team has had plenty of time to hone that skill over the course of the season and the Coyotes put it to good use on Tuesday. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • Thomas Howard Graves • Tom Deck Jr. • Gladys Lorene Zeigler - PAGE A8
HIGH ...70˚ LOW ....39˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B8 COMICS.................B6 ENTERTAINMENT.....B8 FINANCIAL .............B7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A8
INDEX
Tuesday saw the first day of the jury trial of State of New Mexico versus Steffanie Kautz, 30, who is charged with abuse of a child resulting in death and abuse of a child without death or great bodily harm. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on May 3, 2011, in the 1200 block of West Hobbs Street, where Kautz was taking care of 14-year-old Breanna (Pooh) Bodge, who subsequently died in her care. During opening arguments, Assistant District Attor ney Matthew Stone reported that Bodge was a diabetic who became ill while staying with Kautz in Roswell. Bodge’s father Michael was working in
Artesia. “Steffanie called several people, but she never called 911.” He said that the father received a phone call from Steffanie early in the morning of May 3, telling him that Breanna was dead. Bodge returned to Roswell and found Kautz asleep next to Breanna’s body. In her opening statement, defense attor ney Anna Marie Bell told the jury that she had little argument about the timeline of the events. She infor med the court that Bodge was the custodial parent rather than her client. Bell said during a telephone conversation with Bodge, Breanna told her father she had stomach ache, but did not feel the See TRIAL, Page A3
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Secretary of Education of the New Mexico Public Education Department revoked for mer teacher and Goddard High School coach David Lawrence’s license to teach. Lawrence was charged with criminal sexual contact, following a series of incidents that occurred during the period of October 2010 through February 2011. Lawrence was accused of participating in flirtatious behavior with the 17year -old victim Kayla Powell and then let her into his home after the Roswell-Goddard basketball game.
Rover shows Mars could have supported life
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Drilling into a rock near its landing spot, the Curiosity rover has answered a key question about Mars: The red planet long ago harbored some of the ingredients needed for primitive life to thrive. Topping the list is evidence of water and basic elements that teeny organisms could feed on, scientists said Tuesday. “We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and supportive of life that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it,” said chief scientist John AP Photo Grotzinger of the CaliforThis image released by NASA shows the Curiosity rover holding a scoop of powdered rock on Mars.
See MARS, Page A3
According to the Decision and Order, Finding of Facts issued on Friday by PED, Morgan L yman who presided at the December 2012 hearing found, “Ms. Powell’s version of the events at the licensure hearing is truthful and that she is a credible witness.” Meanwhile, L yman reported that Lawrence was not credible. The document cited as an example Lawrence’s denial that he had given Powell his phone number, but admitted receiving texts from her. The document states, “The Respondent’s (Lawrence’s) credibility is questioned. His testimony appears to be self-serving. The document repeated
See STATE, Page A3
much that had been heard during the trial, including the fact that Lawrence never reported Powell’s attempts to get his attention to school authorities and much of the “inappropriate behavior” was witnessed by other students. L yman’s conclusions were that statutes permitted him to “... deny, suspect or revoke a department-issued license for incompetency, moral turpitude or any other good and just cause.” Lawrence was tried in Chaves County District Court. He was acquitted on May 11, 2012. Unlike a jury trial where evi-
See LICENSE, Page A3
Pipe bomb found, detonated in residential neighborhood JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
State bomb experts detonated a pipe bomb discovered in a residential neighborhood Friday night. A resident found what looked like an explosive pipe near the cor ner of Lusk Drive and Washington Avenue and called Roswell Police Department’s emergency dispatch center. According to police spokeswoman Sabrina Morales, officers were dispatched at 3:30 p.m. “We went out there initially in response,” Morales said. Once the device was identified as a bomb, Roswell of ficers notified New Mexico State Police, who dispatched its bomb
squad, Morales said. State Police Sgt. Jay Blakeney from the NMSP Roswell of fice said two bomb experts were dispatched to “take care of it.” No one was injured in the explosion. The incident was wrapped up by 5 p.m., according to Roswell Police reports. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives out of Las Cruces was also notified and took over as lead agency for the investigation. The device was detonated at the location and the bomb squad “rendered it safe,” according to Agent Raphael Martinez, resident agent in charge from the See BOMB, Page A3