Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 128 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
May 28, 2014
City officials debate on how to trim budget BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The city of Roswell still has a marketing director, but no thanks to Mayor Dennis Kintigh. “I don’t know why we need to fund a marketing director,” Kintigh said Tuesday during a special City Council meeting called to approve a preliminary budget for 2015. “The question has not been answered to my satisfaction.” City Council approved a preliminary budget with amendments, but it did not approve the proposal to cut
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the jobs of the city’s cemetery sexton, Mike Kirk, and the city’s marketing director, Renee Roach. The preliminary budget passed unanimously. However, the motion adding the changes to the budget received two “no” votes, with Councilors Steve Henderson and Juan Oropesa voting against the changes. The amendments that were made to the preliminary budget mostly included adjustments to amounts of various line items — including decreasing the amount budgeted for travel and training by $48,000
Kicking for Kiwanis
and doing away with the yearly car mayor’s allowance of $2,400. The councilors also took $500,000 from reserves to put toward street repairs; an air service consultant’s fee to help develop air travel to the west from Roswell; and to increase the city’s demolition fund from $20,000 to $195,000.
Debate on whether the city needs a marketing director began Tuesday mor ning when the city Finance Committee met at City Hall to discuss the preliminary budget before See BUDGET, Page A3
Fry announces resignation
Police chief requests more school resource officers BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
City Manager Larry Fry announced his resignation during a special Roswell City Council meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was called to approve a preliminary budget for 2015, but the meeting got off track a couple of times, beginning with Fry’s announcement. “I submitted my letter of resignation this morning,” Fry told the council, adding that he would work with the city during the time of transition.
Mayor Dennis Kintigh said he had discussed Fry’s resignation with him, and added that Fry would remain in his position until he either finds another position or until Jan. 1. “We appreciate all the things you have done for our community,” the mayor told Fry. “I have enjoyed working with the council,” Fry said. Police Chief Philip Smith also asked the council to consider hiring three
VA clinics used tricks to disguise delays
Randal Seyler Photo
Taekwon-Do instructor Dwayne Worley, left, leads students Jessica Sudderth and Bryce Hart through a martial arts demonstration on Tuesday at the Kiwanis Club of Roswell meeting. Hart is going to Rome, Italy, in July to compete in the International Taekwon-Do Federation World Championships.
See COUNCIL, Page A3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fake appointments, unofficial logs kept on the sly and appointments made without telling the patient are among tricks used to disguise delays in seeing and treating veterans at Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics. They’re not a new phenomenon. VA officials, veteran service organizations and members of Congress have known about them for years. The “gaming strategies” were used to make it appear veterans were getting appointments within target times set by the department, according to a 2010 department memo to VA facility managers aimed at fighting the practices. The memo from William Schoenhard, then the VA’s deputy undersecretary for health operations and management, said that when a
medical appointment wasn’t available within the 30-day target time then used by VA, some schedulers would:
— Make a fake appointment within the 30-day period but not tell the patient. The appointment would be canceled later and a new appointment would be made to meet a new 30day target.
— Note on a paper log the actual distant date of an appointment, but not enter it into computer until within 30 days of the date. — Give the patient an appointment at whatever date was next available, but log it in the computer as the date the veteran had asked for. Schoenhard’s nine-page memo ordered the practices stopped and instructed managers on how to detect them.
Felon with weapon CDCC Administrator Corn says arrested during education is key for young offenders RHS graduation BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
STAFF REPORT
A convicted felon carrying a weapon was arrested Saturday during the Roswell High School graduation ceremony. Brandon War ford, 31, was charged by the Roswell Police Department with possession by a felon, unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a deadly
Finding alternative punishments for youthful of fenders and getting them educated are the keys to breaking the cycle of generational incarceration, said Clay Cor n, administrator of the Chaves County Detention Center. “The number one factor in adult incarceration in Chaves County is drugs, specifically methampheta-
mines,” Cor n told the Roswell Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. “But the number one factor for juvenile offenders is education. The majority of our juvenile population are school drop-outs.” Corn said he has been working with District Judge Freddie Romero and with the Roswell Independent School District to come up with alternatives to incarceraSee CORN, Page A3
Doña Ana County biofuel plant catches fire See FELON, Page A3
ANTHONY (AP) — A New Mexico biofuel facility caught fire Tuesday, sending a giant column of black smoke into the air and prompting authorities to briefly evacuate an area that includes about 350 homes. A series of small explosions was reported at the Rio Valley Biofuels plant near the town of Anthony, but there was no immediate word of any injuries, Dona Ana County spokesman Jess Williams said. Operations manager Jed Smith said he believed all five employees who work at the
Warford
plant were OK. County officials activated their emergency operations center and declared a hazardous materials emergency, Williams said. The immediate area was evacuated, but residents were allowed back in to their homes by early afternoon. Anthony is on the New Mexico-Texas line between Las Cruces, and El Paso, Texas. Witnesses described hearing loud explosions and seeing large flames as fire trucks and emergency responders rushed to the
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scene. “We heard a few explosions, then a really loud one,” witness Miguel Favela said. “You could hear the fire burning.” The fire was first reported shortly after 9 a.m. A Rio Valley Biofuels manager said about 2½ hours later that it was “basically out — smoldering.” Crews were still dousing the site with water several hours after the accident. Williams and Smith both said the cause of the fire was not yet known. The half-mile area around
the plant was evacuated because of the threat of blasts from the methanol on the premises, authorities said. Other chemicals on site include vegetable oil, hydrochloric acid and biodiesel fuel. According to Rio Valley Biofuels’ website, the company began commercially producing bio-diesel fuel from recycled oil from local food processors in 2006. The company said it gets oil from sources that include vegetable oil, crude cottonseed, sunflower, soy, palm and canola.
• ARLIE DAVID MOORE JR. • EDITH AKIN
• EDWARD “FRANK” HORTON • DORIS L. CLARKE
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A8
Randal Seyler Photo
Chaves County Detention Center Administrator Clay Corn discusses youthful offenders and expansion plans for the detention center on Tuesday at the Roswell Kiwanis Club meeting. AP Photo
In this handout photo provided by Miguel Favela, smoke
rises from a fire at a biofuel facility near Anthony, on
Tuesday, prompting an evac-
uation of an area a half-mile around the plant, authorities
said. Dona Ana County officials activated their emergency operations center and
declared a hazardous materials emergency, said county
spokesman Jess Williams.
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B8 COMICS .................B7 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B5
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10
LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10