Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 133 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
June 3, 2014
TUESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
County stepping up efforts in spraying for mosquitoes BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The recent rains brought more than just flooded streets — mosquitoes are hatching throughout Chaves County, and the county road department is out in force trying to combat the little bloodsuckers. “Standing water is the main issue,” said County Manager Stan Riggs on Monday. “We need people to be aware of any standing water on their property and if they can, they need to move it along.” “Mosquitoes can be an issue, especially considering the amount of flooding we’ve seen lately,” said City Manager Larry Fry. “We definitely do have issues with mos-
quitoes, and sometimes we will have more of a problem in one part of town than another part, depending on how much standing water we have.” The city contracts with the county for infection control spraying, Fry said. “We’ve been doing some spraying, but now with all the rain we are really having to step up our efforts,” Riggs said. The mosquitoes breed in standing water and with the rain, there have been quite a few reports of mosquito hatchings. The insects can bring with them diseases, including West Nile Virus. “We have had a few cases of West Nile Virus reported, and last year I think we just had one case,” Riggs said.
“But we had a pretty big outbreak five or six years ago.” According to the New Mexico State University website, aces.nmsu.edu, cases of West Nile Virus have occurred in New Mexico every year since 2003. From 2003 to 2011, there were nearly 500 cases of West Nile Virus in humans. The largest number of cases was 209 in 2003, and the smallest was four cases in 2011. In 2013, New Mexico reported 38 human cases of West Nile Virus, with five of those cases being found in Chaves County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s website, diseasemap-
Randal Seyler Photo
Standing water, such as this pool along Pennsylvania Avenue in Roswell, is prime mosquito breeding territory. The city and county have seen an increase in the number of mosquitoes following the recent rains.
See MOSQUITOES, Page A3
So you think it’s hot here in Roswell? BY TIMOTHY P. HOWSARE RECORD EDITOR
Courtesy Photo
The amber color in this NASA photo of the sun taken on June 1 corresponds to a temperature of 2 million degrees Kelvin, or about 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit.
EPA carbon rules could force changes in state
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — New Mexico gets most of its electricity from coal-fired power plants, but new federal guidelines aimed at reducing pollution could mean changes for the state and higher electricity rates for customers, state officials said Monday. The Obama administration’s long awaited proposal calls for curbing carbon dioxide emissions at power plants nationally by nearly one-third over the next 15 years. Each state is required to come up with a plan for reaching specific goals set by the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency. Some states will be allowed to emit more pollutants and others less. The EPA wants New Mexico to aim for a 33 percent reduction of 2012 levels, when power plants in the state emitted some 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Meeting the federal standards will be challenging for New Mexicans, who get more than two-thirds of their electricity from coalfired plants and another quarter from natural gasfired plants, both of which emit carbon dioxide.
THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN — When I moved from Pampa, Texas, to Roswell, a distance of 270 miles, I was hoping the weather would be a little more like Arizona. I lived in the Phoenix area before I lived in Pampa. One joke about the weather in the Texas Panhandle is that you can experience all four seasons in a single day. Another, possibly started by the legendary Woody Guthrie, is that in winter the only thing between you and North Pole is a barbed wire fence. I don’t know if March roared in like a lion in Roswell because I wasn’t here yet, but June has definitely roared in like a Smaug, the fire-breathing dragon of Middle-Earth
lore. Friday night, I stayed over in Cloudcroft and on Saturday I was hiking in the cool mountain air of the Lincoln National Forest. Ahhhh. Unfortunately for yours truly, by 6 p.m. Saturday, I was back in Roswell, roasting in the oppressive heat with everyone else. I guess I got what I wished for. As I write this missive late Sunday afternoon, weather.com tells me its 103 degrees outside. Yikes. On my weekend jaunt to the Sacramento Mountains, I visited the Sacramento Peak Solar Observatory. The research center, in a little village appropriately named Sunspot, is equipped with a wide range of top-of-the-line instrumentation, such as the Universal Birefringent Fil-
Candidates make last-minute appeals SANTA FE (AP) — Candidates in New Mexico’s primary election made lastminute appeals to voters to cast ballots today to decide a wide-open Democratic contest for governor along with statewide, legislative and local races. Only Democrats and Republicans can vote in the state’s closed primary system, but there were early indications of potentially light turnout — particularly on the GOP side. After the close of early voting on Saturday, 77,262 New Mexicans — 47,308 Democrats and 29,954 Republicans — had cast ballots or returned absen-
tee ballots, according to the secretary of state’s office. That figure will increase somewhat as some voters return their absentee ballots today. However, there were 90,323 early and absentee votes in the 2010 primary election — 45,022 by Democrats and 45,301 by Republicans. About 65 percent of ballots were cast on Election Day in the 2010 primary, which was the last time New Mexicans decided gubernatorial contests. Polls will be open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The winner of the fiveway race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination
See HOT, Page A3
For a list of local poll hours and locations, see page A2.
will face well-funded Republican Gov. Susana Martinez in the November general election.
On the ballot are Attorney General Gary King, Santa Fe businessman Alan Webber, former government administrator Lawrence Rael and state Sens. Howie Morales and Linda Lopez.
On Monday, King targeted older voters, who typically account for a large share
of those who cast ballots in a primary election. The twoterm attorney general greeted elderly New Mexicans gathering for breakfast at a community center in southeastern Albuquerque. Dennis Martinez, 71, said he once played on stage with King in a band. “I’ve known him for years and my girlfriend knew his father, the governor,” Martinez said. “The Kings are very nice.”
Parks committee plans special meeting Beware of postcard scam BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The Roswell Parks and Recreation Committee will team up with the Parks and Recreation Commission in the coming month for a special meeting to hear some ideas for improving the city’s bike trails. Resident Jane Batson told the committee that she and Committee Chairwoman Tabitha Denny had attended a Community Transformation Grant
presentation which had some great ideas the city could implement at little cost.
“As part of the grant process, we are always looking at ways to improve our parks and increase recreation,” Batson said. One of the purposes of the grant is to increase access to healthy activities for children and residents, and improved access to trails can lead to healthier citizens.
The Community Transformation Grants come
HIGH 104 LOW 69 TODAY’S FORECAST
from the Center for Disease Control, and Chaves County is one of 10 counties in New Mexico that qualified for a grant.
In 2012, the grant program was expanded to support areas with fewer than 500,000 people in neighborhoods, school districts, villages, towns, cities, and counties to increase opportunities to prevent chronic diseases and promote health, according to the CDC website. In an ef fort to reach
more people, approximately $70 million was awarded to 40 communities to implement broad, sustainable strategies that will reduce health disparities and expand clinical and community preventive services that will directly impact about 9.2 million Americans. The expansion of CTG ensures that more Americans will benefit from healthier environments and have access to healthier options.
See MEETING, Page A2
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6 • WILLIAM ROY PULLEY • EDDY RAMON SEGURA • FRANCISCO “FRANK” DAVID • ARCHIE D. WEITNER MONTOYA • LAWANDA FURNEY • MARY BETH DESMOND
STAFF REPORT There is an apparent scam going in Roswell in which an individual receives a postcard in the mail stating: “Great News! You are eligible to receive $100 in gift savings good at Wal-Mart or Target! Call Toll-Free now for complete details.” A woman who requested that her name not be published brought one of the cards into the newspaper office. The cards appear authentic but do not have a return address. A similar scam was going around about three months CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
ago. The woman had contacted Walmart and spoke to an employee, who said she knew nothing about a socalled “gift savings.” When she called Target, a manager told her they knew nothing about a “gift savings,” but had received calls from other people in town who received a similar card. The woman who visited the newspaper said she called the number, 1-844633-9990, and it was answered by a man with a
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
See SCAM, Page A3 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8