Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 122, No. 98 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
Horse slaughterhouse wins feds OK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana announced plans Tuesday to retire at the end of his term after a career of enormous power and notable independence, producing both collaboration and conflict with fellow Democrats on major tax and health care legislation. - PAGE A6
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JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
BAUCUS TO RETIRE
April 24, 2013
Valley Meat Co. sits at a bend on a quiet road surrounded by far m and ranchland near Roswell. The picturesque location is serene as most New Mexico wide-open spaces. But outside the gates that contain a metal building and empty wooden livestock stalls waits an unforgiving and sometimes brutal opposition to owner Rick De Los Santos’ plans to begin operating as the U.S.’s first horse slaughterhouse in five years. A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector walked the facility with De Los Santos Tuesday, assuring him that the plant was in compliance. The inspection ended a
yearlong wait and paved the way for a possible opening within the next week. “It’s a relief in some way,” De Los Santos said. “He found everything to be in compliance — our paperwork, our facility. He was going back to the Dallas district office to file for the grant of inspection. So it’s great news really.” Following nearly a year of waiting, a lawsuit against the federal gover nment, death threats and threatening messages from animal activists, Valley Meat Co. may be days away from getting approval from the USDA to begin operations. A grant of inspection means the facility will allow the 7,200-square-foot plant join the more than 6,270 plants in the U.S. to be reg-
ularly inspected to process meat for human consumption. But several steps need to be taken before operations can begin with 50 to 100 horses processed a day. “Legally (the plant) will be allowed to start processing,” said Blair Dunn, attorney for De Los Santos. “There will be an inspector there every day the plant is open and operating.” But even if the USDA signs off on allowing the inspectors into the plant, Valley Meat Co. is already facing a tough battle to operate, including another federal lawsuit and a possible shut-down of inspections in September if President Barack Obama’s budget is approved. An “Intent to Sue” notice was filed against several
Guitar man
federal agencies last week and spearheaded by the Humane Society of the United States that cites endangered species violations may stop plans and could take down neighboring dairy operations as collateral damage. “We’re anticipating these groups are going to file a lawsuit seeking an injunction or something along those lines,” Dunn said. If that happens, “we’re going to be headed to court. If they don’t file anything, Valley Meat will begin processing next week.” A lawsuit was filed by the law firm of Schiff Hardin in San Francisco against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, USDA and secretary of the interior on behalf of Front See HORSE, Page A3
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Johnson relates shop break-in; refuses to ... • Kautz pleads no contest • Three fantastic events during one weekend ... • 100 caring souls raise funds for MS • Rockets split pair with Bulldogs
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Richard Smith plays his guitar at the corner of Second and Main streets on a chilly Tuesday morning. Smith, originally from Wisconsin, is a regular fixture in downtown Roswell.
COYOTES NIP ROCKETS, 4–1
Delivering a stellar performance when your team needs it most is the goal of every pitcher. Roswell needed it on Tuesday and freshman Anissa Munoz delivered in a big way for the Coyotes. Munoz allowed just one run on four hits and struck out 11 Rockets, helping Roswell to a 4-1 win over its northside rival in the final regular season district game between the two. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Estella Gibson • Cergio Quinonez • Troy Alexander Green • Harold Dean Lollar - PAGE B4
HIGH ...67˚ LOW ....45˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B8 COMICS.................B6 ENTERTAINMENT.....A8 FINANCIAL .............B7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A6 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A7
AP Photo
New VA plan will expedite claims Rick De Los Santos
ILISSA GILMORE RECORD STAFF WRITER In an effort to reduce the backlog of veterans benefit claims, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced last week an initiative to expedite compensation claims decisions for veterans who have waited one year or longer. VA claims raters will now make provisional decisions on the oldest claims to allow eligible veterans to collect benefits quicker. Raters will base decisions on evidence provided by the veteran or collected on his or her behalf by the VA. “Too many veterans wait too long for a decision, and this
‘Uninsurables’ help Midwest expects more rain mired in politics WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are offering to bail out a financially strapped program in the federal health overhaul, one that’s a lifeline for uninsured people with medical problems. Truce in the health care wars? Not!
The GOP bill, headed for a vote Wednesday in the House, would divert billions from another program under President Barack Obama’s signature law, a transfer Democrats say would undermine broader goals.
Caught in the middle are the so-called uninsurables. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan was designed to offer them a path to private coverage. Obama’s Affordable Care Act was supposed to banish such fears forever by requiring health insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing medical problems. But those consumer protections don’t take ef fect until Jan. 1, along with a mandate that
PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — More rain on Tuesday was the last thing flood fighters across the Midwest wanted to see, adding more water to swollen rivers now expected to remain high into next month. Floodwaters were rising to record levels along the Illinois River in central Illinois. In Missouri, six small levees north of St. Louis were overtopped by the surging Mississippi River, though mostly
See VA, Page A3
AP Photo
Grafton, Ill., residents deal with the high water, Tuesday afternoon.
Napolitano: Immigration bill would boost security See HEALTH, Page A3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping immigration legislation would improve U.S. security by helping authorities to know who is in the country, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday, as supporters of an immigration overhaul marshaled arguments against opponents trying to slow it down in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
INDEX
AP Photo
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on immigration reform, Tuesday.
Testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Napolitano said a wideranging bill circulating in Congress devotes more money to securing the border, requires employers to verify their workers’ identity and implements new systems to track people as they leave the country — something that might have
See RAIN, Page A3
helped flag when one of the suspected Boston bombers traveled to Russia last year. Of great importance, Napolitano said, is the eventual path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants here illegally.
does — Napolitano didn’t repeat that criticism Tuesday. Instead she said that the border security “triggers” in the bill are achievable, suggesting they wouldn’t loom as major impediments to citizenship.
Napolitano’s support for legislation that’s a top second-term priority for President Barack Obama was no surprise. While in the past she has criticized the idea of making a path to citizenship conditional on accomplishing border security goals first — as the new bill
So far there’s no indication the two suspected bombers, brothers of
Republicans have criticized such a path as a divisive proposal that rewards law-breakers. But Napolitano said it is a fundamental tool to help law enforcement authorities know who is here.
Napolitano’s testimony came as last week’s Boston Marathon bombings have clouded the introduction of the landmark immigration legislation, with Republicans suggesting it should be slowed down or revisited until more is known about any loopholes in the immigration system that the Boston bombers may have exploited, or national security flaws that should be addressed in the bill.
Chechen origin, violated U.S. immigration laws. They came legally about a decade ago when their family sought asylum, and both became legal permanent residents while one eventually attained U.S. citizenship. Napolitano defended the asylum system now in place, describing an extensive process with multiple screenings. She said any asylum applicant is thoroughly interviewed and vetted, run through databases, fingerprinted and vetted again when they become eligible for a green card and ultimately citizenship. Napolitano also said the process has improved in See SECURITY, Page A3