Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 79 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
April 1, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
TUESDAY
Deadline dash: Glitches slow health care sign-ups
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a flood of last-minute signups, hundreds of thousands of Americans rushed to apply for health insurance Monday, but deadline day for President Barack Obama’s overhaul brought long, frustrating waits and a new spate of website ills. “This is like trying to find a parking spot at WalMart on Dec. 23,” said Jason Stevenson, working with a Utah nonprofit group helping people enroll. At times, more than
125,000 people were simultaneously using HealthCare.gov, straining it beyond its capacity. For long stretches Monday, applicants were shuttled to a virtual waiting room where they could leave an email address and be contacted later. Of ficials said the site had not crashed but was experiencing very heavy volume. The website, which was receiving 1.5 million visitors a day last week, had recorded about 1.6 million through 2 p.m.
EDT. Supporters of the health care law fanned out across the country in a final dash to sign up uninsured Americans. People not signed up for health insurance by the deadline, either through their jobs or on their own, were subject to being fined by the IRS, and that threat was helping drive the final dash. The administration announced last week that people still in line by midnight would get extra time
to enroll. The website stumbled early in the day — out of service for nearly four hours as technicians patched a software bug. Another hiccup in early afternoon temporarily kept new applicants from signing up, and then things slowed further. Overwhelmed by computer problems when launched last fall, the system has been working much better in recent months, but independent testers say it still runs slowly.
New Mexicans face enrollment deadline SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico was expected to fall short of its goal of enrolling 40,000 to 50,000 people in health insurance plans in the initial phase of President Barack Obama’s health care law, a top official
Children from the Boys & Girls Club in Roswell enjoy the spring weather on Monday and inspect the flowers that they planted back in October. The Boys & Girls Club will be hosting a Mix-It-Up event during Spring Break next week featuring several field trips and activities.
Boys & Girls Club plans Spring Break events Roswell is planning a MixIt-Up Week for local youth during Spring Break next week. The Boys & Girls Club of The event will sponsor
RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
five local youths who are well as on-site activities, not members of the club to including beautification of participate in the week’s the campus, including events, which will include See EVENTS, Page A3 outings for the children as
New Mexico officials made a final push to encourage individuals to sign up for taxpayer-subsidized health plans
City committee keeps old airport tower property JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Randal Seyler Photo
with the state’s insurance exchange said Monday.
The city Building and Lands Committee opted Monday not to recommend handing over the Old Roswell Airport Tower property adjacent to Cielo Grande Park to a new youth ministry organization. Lighthouse Youth Ministry, a nonprofit organization owned by Casey and Heidi Key, proposed to open a Christian community youth center to provide programs, counseling and entertainment in the building. Committee members Jeanine Corn Best, Steve Henderson and Caleb Grant decided not to grant their request to give them the building and surrounding land at no cost. “You came to me a couple of weeks ago,” Corn Best said. “Your vision is absolutely amazing. Your report … I read it. I prayed on it. My heart goes out to
See DEADLINE, Page A3
you. My problem is, my constituents voted me in to do what is right.” Corn Best said she didn’t think the place was right for what the ministry was looking to do. The building was dilapidated and dying. “This is an albatross,” Cor n Best said. “It’s an albatross for the city and it will be a major albatross to you.” The building’s fate has been pondered since about 1990, when city leaders decided to tear it down, Henderson said. Then, in 1992, a decision was made to save it. The Unity Center held activities at the building some time later. The city received state capital outlay funds to repair it, but it wasn’t enough and councilors decided not to pitch in city funds for the project. “At one point, the roof became so bad, it was destroying the center,” Henderson said. “The key
Carlsbad man dies Judge candidate Arnett feels calling to serve in rollover accident
A Carlsbad man died Sunday when his 2008 Ford pickup rolled over in Eddy County, according to a New Mexico State Police report. Abel Anaya, 38, of Carlsbad was traveling east on Smedley Road near Carlsbad at about 3 a.m., when his pickup drifted across the westbound lane and traveled onto the dirt portion of the shoulder, according to the report. Police believe Anaya overcorrected, causing the pickup to travel back across both lanes, striking a steel pole on the south side of the road. The pickup flipped over.
Anaya was pronounced dead at the scene, and was the only occupant of the pickup. Anaya was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident. Alcohol also appears to be a factor in the accident, according to the police report. The New Mexico State Police urges the public to always wear their seatbelts and not to drink and drive. “Not only is it against the law, it is extremely dangerous to everyone on the roadway,” said Sgt. Damyan Brown, NMSP public information officer.
AP Photo
Riot police launch tear gas toward activists in downtown Albuquerque following a 10-hour protest around the city, Sunday.
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TODAY’S FORECAST
JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Magistrate Judge candidate Bobby Ar nett said people have a duty and an obligation to serve in the community. “If you want to see the community as a better community, then I think everybody has an obligation to play a part,” Arnett said. “And it may be a small part. It may be as you’re walking and picking up trash. If you can do more, then do more.” Ar nett is running against incumbent Magistrate Judge K.C. Rogers in Dist. 1 in the primary election. He said his longtime
experience working for a family fireworks business and time spent as a legal aid in a local law fir m gives him the qualities to serve the magistrate court well. “Whenever I heard Judge De Los Santos was retiring, I felt a calling,” Arnett said. “I felt it would be a good opportunity for me to try and do something good for the community.” Arnett was born in Ruidoso and moved to Roswell when he was 3 years old, he said. He and his wife, who was also born in Ruidoso, were delivered by the same doctor, baptized by the same priest and both moved to Roswell. They
didn’t meet until they were students at the University of New Mexico. Growing up in Roswell has given him an insight into community, he said. “I think that one of my strengths is that I am from the community,” Arnett said. “I’ve seen a lot of the challenges that Roswell has faced in my lifetime. And that just gives me an inside knowledge to the heartbeat of the community and it’s one of the reasons that I wanted to do this.” He said he also wants to leave a legacy for his children, he said. “I’ve got two kids and it’s
See COMMITTEE, Page A3
Courtesy Photo
Republican Bobby Arnett is running against incumbent Magistrate Judge K.C. Rogers in Dist. 1.
Police chief vows reforms after violent protest See ARNETT, Page A3
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A day after a protest over Albuquerque police shootings devolved into violence, the city’s new police chief on Monday commended of ficers for showing restraint and said he is about to unveil refor ms that include changes to the embattled department’s recruiting process. Chief Gorden Eden spoke to reporters after more than 300 people took to the streets Sunday, calling for him and other city officials to resign. The protest turned violent that evening,
when people began hunting down of ficers, throwing rocks and bottles, and spitting on officers, he said. The chief says officials decided to disperse the crowd with tear gas after a man pulled out an AK-47, others blocked traffic by lying down on Interstate 25 and unruly crowds trapped people and officers in cars. Protesters also started attacking each other, impeded emergency crews and blocked the entrance to a hospital. There was only one minor injury, an of ficer
who hurt his knee, Eden said. Four protesters were arrested during the 12hour demonstration. Justin Elder, 24, followed the protest as a passenger in a car and held a sign that read, “APD: Dressed To Kill.” “That’s what this police force is about,” Elder said. Sunday’s protest and another last week were in response to the 37 shootings Albuquerque police have been involved in since 2010, 23 of them fatal, including the recent case of a homeless camper killed
• PAUL D. MALES • ROBERT FRANK TELLEZ • JULIO HERRERA
• ADRA MAE HOLDRIDGE MCCONNELL
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
after he appeared to be surrendering. By comparison, police in the similarly sized cities of Denver and Oakland have been involved in fatal and non-fatal shootings totaling 27 and 23, respectively.
The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating the Albuquerque department for more than a year, looking into complaints of civil rights violations and allegations of excessive use of force.
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 NATION ..................A6
OPINION .................A4 SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8