Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 152 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
June 25, 2014
Officials tour FLETC immigration facilities BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Local officials met with federal authorities Tuesday at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia to learn more about the impending arrival of hundreds or even thousands of illegal immigrants from Central America. Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, Republican state Reps. Candy Spence Ezzell and Bill Gray, and Gray’s
GOP successor, James Townsend, had a 2-hour meeting Tuesday with officials of FLETC and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Meanwhile, in the nation’s capital, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce announced Tuesday he had been selected to a working group of House Republicans examining the unfolding national security and humanitarian crises. Ezzell, R-Roswell, said she was invited to Tues-
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day’s meeting by FLETC director Terry Todd. She said the 2-hour meeting included officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “We asked the hard questions. This time, they had to answer them,” Ezzell said. “It was something else. I’m appalled. I really am.”
Ezzell said stuffed animals and other toys, televisions, medical care, education, day care, an in-room cleaning service, laundry
services and three meals a day await the hundreds of Central American children and adults expected to begin arriving this week. “They are putting these people in barracks that are nicer than most hotel rooms,” Ezzell said. “Each room will have a TV in it, new mattresses, the whole nine yards. They will have their linens laundered and everything. I’m appalled. “Gosh dang, it just really, really bothers me. We have veterans that aren’t
AP Photo
This artist rendering provided by World View Enterprises shows the World View Voyager balloon carrying a pressurized space capsule that will be transported to the edge of space. The Arizona company says it has successfully completed the first scale test flight of a high-altitude balloon and capsule being developed to take tourists to the edge of space. World View Enterprises of Tucson said Tuesday that it launched the flight last week from Roswell.
The mayor said the illegal immigrants will be housed in the modular dorms installed at FLETC a few years ago. He estimated each dor m room could house up to eight people.
cared for like these illegals are going to be cared for. We have senior citizens that are not going to be treated as well as these people are going to be.” Kintigh said he brought City Manager Larry Fry and Chief of Police Phil Smith with him to the meeting.
Kintigh said an 8-foottall chain-link fence will surround the area where waves of illegal immigrants will be housed for indefinite periods of time. Kintigh, a retired FBI
“We went over to actually where they are going to be housing these individuals,” Kintigh said, adding the accommodations are much like college dormitories.
Company successful in space-tourism balloon test
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — An Arizona company says it has successfully completed the first small-scale test flight of a high-altitude balloon and capsule being developed to let tourists float 20 miles above the earth. World View Enterprises of Tucson said Tuesday that it launched the flight last week from Roswell. CEO Jane Poynter said the system broke the world record for highest parafoil flight, lifting a payload to 120,000 feet. “It went really, really, really well,” Poynter said. “Actually, the guys hit the ball out of the park. We’re thrilled.” The system uses a balloon similar to that used in 2012 to lift Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner 128,000
See FLETC, Page A3
feet to make a world-record breaking 24-mile sky dive. That flight also launched from the Roswell airport.
Poynter said last week’s flight was the first testing all the components together. It used a balloon about third the size of that planned for passenger flight to lift a payload of about one-tenth of what will be used to carry passengers.
The company is still planning to begin its $75,000 per-person flights in 2016, she said. The balloons will lift a capsule carrying six passengers and two crew members 20 miles up, where they will float under a parafoil for about two hours before floating back down to earth.
State makes progress Barncastle concedes sheriff’s race eliminating feral pigs ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — State and federal wildlife managers in New Mexico are making progress in their fight against feral pigs. They say they have eliminated the majority of invasive porkers from 10 counties, and progress is being made in another seven counties where the pigs have taken up residency. Alan May, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Service Division in Albuquerque, said federal hunters tracked down and eliminated about 700 pigs last year as part of a $1 million pilot project. Most of the work was done across New Mexico’s east-
ern plains.
BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. The tourism council consists of volunteers from the numerous facilities and events in Roswell who come together each month to discuss how to better inform visitors of the city’s attractions. “The council began in 2011 when the Cooperative Extension Service’s Rural Economic Development Through Tourism program ceased to exist,” Stubbs said. Some of those REDTT members were still interested in promoting tourism,
Most of the pigs removed were female, which should put a dent in the population’s ability to multiply.
The results have been good despite some uncooperative private landowners hindering the ef fort, he said. “We will continue to work with those few folks to explain the importance of what we’re trying to do so we can hopefully achieve statewide eradication someday,” May said. Feral pigs have made themselves at home across more than three quarters of the U.S. and are responsible for an estimated $1.5 billion in damages each year.
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Patrick Barncastle, who came within a baker’s dozen of ballots of winning the Republican nomination for Chaves County sheriff, told the Daily Record Tuesday he would not request a recount. “No, we’re not going to,” Barncastle said Tuesday. “That’s just the bottom line. We’ve decided not to.” Barncastle had said he was considering a recount after the Chaves County commissioners on June 6 canvassed the election results and added six votes each for Barncastle and Britt Snyder. In total, 20 more ballots were added to the June 3 election tallies, but the new
ballots did not affect any race. Bar ncastle’s decision seals the GOP nomination for Snyder, and most likely the general election in November. The final vote tally in the four-candidate GOP sheriff’s race was 1,672 votes for Snyder, 1,660 for Barncastle, 576 for Arthur Fleming, and 444 for Gary Graves. No Democrat ran for sheriff. “I’m glad it’s over,” Snyder said Tuesday. “I kind of figured it was over two weeks ago, or longer. I didn’t figure they would request a recount, but that was up to them. I’m definitely glad it’s over.” County Clerk Dave Kunko said Bar ncastle
Volunteers work to support tourism industry Even without funding, the Chaves County Tourism Council manages to get the word out that Roswell and Chaves County are great places to visit. “Our council is full of wonderful, talented people, and they all just want to make sure everyone knows Roswell is a great place to visit,” said Judy Stubbs, president of the council. Stubbs was the guest speaker at the Roswell
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so they came together to form the CCTC. “A handful of us just kept meeting, even though the funding had stopped,” Stubbs said. “We’re a council with no dues, no by-laws, and no real membership. We’re just a group of people interested in promoting tourism.” The CCTC exists to enhance the local tourism industry by uniting and promoting the unique culture, history and multitude of attractions within Chaves County, according
• GLENDA C. BRUNK • EDWARD “FRANK” HORTON • RONALD C. HORTON
to the group’s “statement of purpose.” Ultimately, Stubbs does not see tourism as economic development, since it does not add jobs or build on existing products. “Leprino Foods is an example of an economic development, where not only are jobs added, but raw materials from here are turned into a product that is sold all over the country.” However, tourism is a See TOURISM, Page A3
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
had until June 18 to file for a recount in district court. Kunko said the sheriff’s race would not officially be decided until Thursday, assuming no other candidates file for sheriff. Thursday is the filing day for third-party candidates, such as the Green Party, to file for sheriff for other local and state offices, Kunko said. Thursday is also the day for Democrat or Republican candidates to declare themselves as write-in candidates, if those individuals did not run for the offices in the primaries, Kunko explained. Snyder, chief deputy of the Chaves County sheriff’s office, said he didn’t know if he would have a
challenger in November. “If somebody wants to get in, that’s certainly out of my control,” Snyder said. “Historically, Democrats or Republicans are the only ones who participate in elections here.” Barncastle, 61, did not rule out a rematch against Snyder in 2018. This was Barncastle’s first election attempt and the first for Snyder since 1988. “I don’t know that that’s going to happen,” Barncastle said. “It’s too early. That’s four years down the road.” Bar ncastle, the chief investigator for 5th Judicial District Attor ney Janetta Hicks, said he would continue to work See BARNCASTLE, Page A3
Randal Seyler Photo
Judy Stubbs, president of the Chaves County Tourism Council, holds up a point of interest map created by the council to promote local tourism. Stubbs was the guest speaker Tuesday at the Roswell Kiwanis Club. CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B3
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8