Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 131 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
May 31, 2014
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
Early voting turnout low compared to 4 years ago BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Despite a crowded field of candidates running for Chaves County sheriff, and a heated race for magistrate judge, early and absentee voting for the June 3 primaries has not been as heavy as some had hoped. As of Friday afternoon, 2,062 Chaves County voters had cast ballots in early and absentee voting. That’s about 75 percent of the early and absentee votes cast in the county four years ago. “In my opinion, the turnout is very low,” said County Clerk Dave Kunko.
“Typically, primaries are low in Chaves County, but it seems lower to me than normal. I believe it’s low.” Early voting, which began May 17, ends today. Early voting today will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Area D of the Chaves County Administrative Center at 1 Saint Mary’s Place, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Roswell Shopping Mall at 4501 N. Main St. Only registered Democrats and Republicans may vote in the closed primaries. In the 2010 Democrat primary, 581 Chaves County Democrats cast ballots in early and absentee vot-
ing. A total of 2,167 Chaves County Republicans cast early and absentee ballots in the 2010 Republican primary. The 2,062 early and absentee votes cast in Chaves County as of Friday afternoon equate to 75 percent of the 2,748 early and absentee ballots cast in the county in the 2010 Republican and Democrat primaries. Magistrate judge candidate Bobby Arnett said a lower primary turnout than 2010 was to be expected. “This is what we knew going into this; there are just so few offices that are contested that there’s not
Lunch supports vet cemetery
much interest in the election,” Arnett said. Arnett noted there was a Republican contested gubernatorial race in 2010, whereas Gov. Susana Martinez is unopposed in this year’s GOP primary. In 2010, there also was a contested GOP race for the U.S. House of Representatives, a race between two Democrats for governor, a race between two Democrats for a Chaves County commission seat, a contested race between two Democrats for a state representative seat, two Republicans running for magistrate judge, and conSee TURNOUT, Page A3
POLLING LOCATIONS AND HOURS The following are the Chaves County precinct locations for the June 3 Republican and Democrat primaries. Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Voters must be registered members of either the Democrat or Republican parties to vote in the respective primaries. Precinct number, voting site, address, city 1 Berrendo Middle School, 800 Marion Richards Road, Roswell 2 Hampton Inn and Suites, 3607 N. Main St., Roswell
Shinseki resigns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki apologized in public and then resigned in the privacy of the White House on Friday, driven from office by a mushrooming scandal over the agency’s health care system that serves millions of the nation’s former warriors.
President Barack Obama said he accepted the resignation “with considerable regret,” and appointed Slone Gibson, the agency’s No. 2 official, as temporary secretary. Obama also said that the Justice Department would determine if any illegality had occurred, and that a top White House aide who has been detailed to the Veterans Af fairs Department would remain there for the time being,
Randal Seyler Photos
Above: David Brown admires a motorcycle during the free lunch to support the Veterans Cemetery in Roswell. The luncheon was sponsored by Pioneer Bank and the American Legion’s Legion Riders.
3 Roswell Baptist Temple, 700 E. Berrendo Road, Roswell 4 Goddard High School, 701 E. Country Club Road, Roswell 5 Del Norte Elementary School, 2701 N. Garden Ave., Roswell 6 La Quinta Inn, 200 E. 19th St., Roswell 7 Goddard High School, 701 E. Country Club Road, Roswell 9 Grace Community Church, 935 W. Mescalero Road, Roswell See POLLS, Page A3
could well require Congress to approve additional money.
A lifetime of service, in uniform and out, wasn’t enough to save Shinseki’s career, though, after agency investigators reported widespread problems in its sprawling hospital system and reported that 1,700 veterans seeking treatment at the Phoenix facility alone were consigned to limbo because they had never been added to official wait lists.
In the 36 hours that followed the findings on Wednesday, Democrats in tough re-election races joined Republicans in clamoring for Shinseki’s resignation.
As for Shinseki, Obama said, “I regret that he has to resign under these circumstances.” He lavished praise on the Vietnam veteran and former Army chief of staff for his decades of service. He said the Cabinet of ficer had told him “he does not want to be a distraction” from the need to repair the agency, a task the president said pointedly
In an appearance before a veterans group before he met with Obama, Shinseki said, “I extend an apology to the people whom I care most deeply about — that’s the veterans of this great country — to their families and loved ones, who I have been honored to serve for over five years now. It’s the calling of a lifetime.”
STAFF REPORT
northbound on State Road 31 when it crossed the centerline and collided head on with a southbound tractortrailer, according to police. Tapaha was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol is not a contributing factor to the accident, according to the report.
NMSP investigate fatal Eddy County car crash
Right: Legion Riders Jimmy Montoya, from left, David Brown, Jaime Fierro and Phillip Lopez manned the table at the lunch to support the proposed Veterans Cemetery in Roswell. The lunch was free, but donations were accepted. By 1 p.m., over 100 lunches had been served.
A 35-year -old Carlsbad man died Thursday when the vehicle he was driving struck a tractor -trailer head on, according to a New Mexico State Police news release.
Man attempts to Feds: It could take 2 years to seal WIPP hide under trailer
STAFF REPORT Roswell Police arrested a man on fleeing and reckless endangerment charges — but not until they coaxed him out from under a trailer where he was hiding. Daniel Munoz, 25, was arrested in connection with charges of aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer, and two counts of abandonment or abuse of a child due to the reckless endangerment of the two children occupying the vehicle, according to police. On Thursday, Munoz was observed by a police officer driving at speeds well over the limit and running a
Frederick Tapaha, 35, of Carlsbad, was traveling
stop sign. Two children were occupying the vehicle along with Munoz. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, and Munoz attempted to flee from the officer. The vehicle came to a stop and Munoz exited the vehicle and fled on foot, according to police. Munoz jumped a fence and the officer did not see where he ran. While searching the area, the officer learned from dispatch of a call reporting a man crawling under a trailer on the 1100 block of East Bland St. See TRAILER, Page A3
HIGH 97 LOW 69
TODAY’S FORECAST
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — It could take two years or more for the federal government to seal off hundreds of potentially dangerous containers at its troubled underground nuclear waste dump in southeastern New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Energy said in a filing Friday.
Responding to an order from the New Mexico Environment Department to detail its plans, the department gave broad ranges that indicate it could take a minimum of about 100 work weeks — and possibly twice that long — to secure the rooms at the now-shuttered plant where more than 350 containers of toxic waste from decades of building nuclear bombs at Los Alamos National Labo-
• W. L. “BILL” HOLLAND • MANUEL ALVAREZ PEREZ
ratory is stored. The report notes that the investigation into a Feb. 14 radiation leak that contaminated 22 workers with lowlevels of radiation and indefinitely shuttered the Waste Isolation Pilot Project isn’t complete and could affect the work. A Department of Energy spokeswoman declined to comment on the estimated time frame, which is laid out broadly by giving an estimate of the work days it will take to complete each step. New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn issued a statement saying the state would review the plan. Also on Friday, the Department of Energy said Los Alamos National Labo-
• HELEN MARIE NARON SAVAGE
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B6
AP Photo
This April 2 file image provided by the U.S. Department of Energy shows workers underground inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant facility in Carlsbad, for the first time since the Feb. 14 radiological release.
ratory won’t be able to meet a deadline for getting the last of thousands of barrels of the waste containing things like contaminated gloves and tools off its CLASSIFIEDS ..........B8 COMICS .................B7 ENTERTAINMENT ...A10 FINANCIAL ..............B5
northern New Mexico campus before wildfire season peaks because of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant’s closure.
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .......A10
LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ............A10