04-03-12 rdr news

Page 1

Roswell Daily Record

Obama makes his health law case THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 121, No. 80 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

SUPREME COURT OKS STRIP SEARCHES WASHINGTON (AP) — Jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for minor offenses, an ideologically divided Supreme Court ruled Monday, the conservative majority declaring that ...

- PAGE A2

TOP 5 WEB

For The Last 24 Hours

• AHA offers abuse indicators • Search intensifies for missing runner • You belong here, Pat • April big month for CASA • RPD arrests Christopher Carson

April 3, 2012

TUESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday issued a rare, direct challenge to the Supreme Court to uphold his historic health care overhaul, weighing in with a vigorous political appeal for judicial restraint. He warned that overturning the law would hurt millions of Americans and amount to overreach by the “unelected” court. Obama predicted that a majority of justices would uphold the law when the ruling is announced in June. But the president, himself a former law professor, seemed intent on swaying uncertain views in the meantime, both in the court of public opinion and in the minds of the justices about not overstepping the high court’s bounds. “Ultimately, I’m confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,” Obama said at a Rose Garden news conference. The majority he referenced was not quite

that strong; Congress approved the law two years ago in hard-fought party-line votes after a divisive national debate. Republican presidential contenders say they will make sure it is repealed if the Supreme Court doesn’t throw it out first. For a president to weigh in so forcefully about a case currently under deliberation by the Supreme Court is unusual, and it speaks to the stakes at hand. The law is the signature domestic achievement of Obama’s term and already a prominent source of debate in the presidential campaign. The Supreme Court will decide whether to strike down part or all of the law, including its centerpiece requirement that nearly all Americans carry insurance or pay a penalty. Obama essentially sought to reset the public view of the case to where the White House thought the baseline lay before the attention-grabbing court arguments and the commentary that followed — that strik-

AP Photo

President Barack Obama gestures during a joint news conference, Monday. Obama said that he remains confident that his health care law will be upheld.

RPL celebrates its 106th birthday with music JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER

Commemorating its achievements, old and new, and its presence in the community, the Roswell Public Library celebrated its 106th birthday Monday afternoon. Various community musical groups performed at either end of the library. Cake cutting and further celebration occurred in the

Malone Room. Giant scrapbooks of archived articles and photos marked some of the cultural institution’s signature moments over the years from the availability of microfilm in 1977, to the donation of an 1895 Chandler & Price Platen Press, used at Hall-Poorbaugh Press, from the Thomas Joseph Hall family in 2002. RPL director Betty Long remembered some of the

See OBAMA, Page A3

library’s highlights during her time working there. “This building was built in 1978, moving from the Carnegie Library to over here in 1978. In 1989 we added the Malone Room to the library. In 1991 we automated the library (with a barcode and scanning system). In 2002 we expanded and renovated the library.” Long also witnessed the installation of the library's new digital billboard and

INSIDE SPORTS

Julia Bergman Photos

Mayor Del Jurney reads a proclamation at the Roswell Public Library's 106th birthday celebration, Monday.

NELSON ELECTED TO HALL OF FAME NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Reggie Miller rode his sister’s coat-tails all the way to the Hall of Fame. The five-time All-Star joined longtime NBA coach Don Nelson and college standout Ralph Sampson ...

- PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • •

Josephine Fortune Rachel Faye Melvin Goldie E. Schmid Ernestine Archuleta - PAGE A6

HIGH ...73˚ LOW ....46˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

its 100th birthday. Mayor Del Jur ney made an appearance at the celebration to read a proclamation declaring April 2, 2012, ‘Roswell Public Library Day.’ In the proclamation, he cited the library’s contributions to the community from its inception in 1906, when it was known as the Carnegie Library. Long also addressed the

importance of the institution for the community, “We’ve had people say the library was the deciding factor for them to move to Roswell. Businesses look at things like libraries and museums when they come in, if they decide they want to establish a business here. We play a very important role in the community.”

have said the origins of the prohibition are unknown. The church recently issued a statement from its offices in Utah denouncing racism and warning against what it called speculation about how the ban came to be.

Romney often talks about the decade he spent as a volunteer Mor mon pastor in the Boston area before becoming governor of Massachusetts.

Mitt Romney faces questions about Mormon faith Members of Goddard High School's choir perform at the Roswell Public Library's 106th birthday celebration, Monday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was questioned about his Mormon faith while campaigning for Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary.

A Ron Paul supporter, 28-year -old Bret Hatch, asked Romney whether he agreed with a passage from the Book of Mormon that describes a cursing of people with a “skin of blackness.” Romney’s staff took away the microphone before the Green Bay man could read the passage.

“I’m sorry, we’re just not going to have a discussion about religion in my view, but if you have a question I’ll be happy to answer your question,” Romney said Monday. Hatch then asked whether Romney thought it was a sin for interracial couples to have children. “No. Next question,” Romney responded curtly. Hatch was citing verses from Mormon scriptures which he argued called it sinful for blacks and whites to have children.

Such allegations are often made by critics who accuse The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of racism and consider Mormon teachings heretical. The church barred men of African descent from the Latter day Saint priesthood until 1978. Some Mormons may have heard verses from scripture cited in their communities as an explanation of why blacks were not allowed to become priests.

“For a time in the church there was a restriction on the priesthood for male members of African descent,” the church said. “It is not known precisely why, how, or when this restriction began in the church but what is clear is that it ended decades ago.”

Not long after Hatch’s question, Romney reflected upon that experience.

“This gentleman wanted to talk about the doctrines of my religion. I’ll talk about the practices of my faith,” Romney said, noting that his service as a pastor helped him connect with people on “a very personal basis.”

Former FBI agent Dennis Kintigh seeks election to new district JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER

CLASSIFIEDS..........B3 COMICS.................B7 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A1 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD .................A3

INDEX

Dennis Kintigh

However, church leaders

Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell, a former special agent with the FBI who served for a time as interim Roswell chief of police, says he is seeking election to the District 66 state House of Representatives seat. Due to a court-ordered redistricting plan for the House, Kintigh and Rep. Bob Wooley, R-Roswell, were lumped into District 66, currently represented by Wooley. In 2008, Kintigh was elected to the House to represent District 57, which encompasses norther n Chaves, norther n Lincoln and northern Otero counties. He was unopposed in his bid for reelection in 2010. If he is successfully elected to the District 66 seat, Kintigh

will serve his third consecutive term in the House. Kintigh is concerned with changing the way the House operates to provide for a more equal distribution of power. “Right now, there’s too much power in the hands of the speaker (of the House) and that’s not right regardless of which party is in place,” he said. Kintigh called for allowing each party to pick its own committee members. As for whether the state is in need of tax reform, a belief held by many Republicans in the Legislature, Kintigh said, “legal reform is just as important as tax reform but it’s not getting the attention it needs.” He cited, as an example, a component of business news channel CNBC’s website, which ranks states in a range of categories. “In

the area of what they call business friendliness, which they explain as litigation and regulation, New Mexico comes in at 46th. That’s worse than where we come in on taxes. I believe that’s the unrecognized anchor that is holding back our economy.” Kintigh would like to see changes made to the state’s criminal justice system, “to make it more respectful of victims and hold people who hurt people accountable.” While serving as interim Roswell chief of police, Kintigh became frustrated by individuals with behavioral health issues becoming involved with the criminal justice system. While serving in this capacity, Kintigh recognized that, “Law See KINTIGH, Page A3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
04-03-12 rdr news by Roswell Daily Record - Issuu