Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 156 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
June 29, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
SUNDAY
Mayoral forum: Kintigh talks animal rescues, FLETC
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of interviews with Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, who volunteered to meet with Roswell Daily Record staff each month and answer any and all questions. Those with a question for the mayor may send queries to Daily Record editor T imothy Howsare at editor@ rdr news.com, or to staff writer Jeff Tucker at reporter01@rdrnews.com. Mayor Kintigh was asked about a comment Roswell City Councilor Jeanine Corn Best made in a June 26 Daily Record article, in reference to A&E’s show about the Gen. Douglas L. McBride Roswell Veterans’ Cemetery: Do you think it was appropriate for a city councilor to be cussing on the front page of the newspaper? “Well, that’s an interesting question,” Kintigh said. “There’s a line in some play that’s there are only a lim-
ited number of words that people understand. There are some folks that speak that way. Law enforcement tends to be very in the gutter on the language. I choose not to speak that way. I also choose not to condemn others that do.”
Was Fiddle & Griddle worth closing down city streets? “I have serious concerns about whether the Fiddle & Griddle was worth the investment by the city, both in lodgers’ tax, time and energy of the city personnel,” Kintigh said. “The streets had to be closed. Stuff had to be re-routed. I think we as a council need to consider some forum in which we can get a complete evaluation of recent events. By that, I’m going to include Hike It & Spike It, Fiddle & Griddle and the film fest. I think all three need to be looked at. Hike It & Spike It got $20,000 in lodgers’ tax money; Fiddle
Jeff Tucker Photo
Roswell Mayor Dennis Kintigh, center, talks Thursday with Daily Record Vision editor Rey Berrones, left, and staff writer Jerry Heck dur-
ing the mayor’s monthly forum with newspaper staff.
& Griddle got either $50,000 or $60,000; and the same thing for the film fest, $50,000 or $60,000. That’s a lot of money. “So we need to look at how successful those are and whether they are worthwhile. I don’t know
the timeframe. I need to figure something out there, but I have serious questions myself. I went (to Fiddle & Griddle) four times and did not see many people. Yes, we need to re-evaluate.” What are you going to be
doing about the dog situation? “This was incredible,” Kintigh said. “I can show you the emails I’m still getting on this subject. Unfortunately, they come from people who have not read the Roswell Daily Record. I
think the paper has accurately and on-the-spot described what’s happened. “A brief summary, a 9year-old boy is mauled by three pit bulls that were in the care, custody and conSee KINTIGH, Page A7
Japan eyes Roswell skies Roswell UFO incident to be featured in upcoming TV special BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER
A photo of a suspected UFO reportedly seen over Japan in April 2011.
Submitted Photo
UFO sightings not unfamiliar in Japan BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD STAFF WRITER The Japanese have been visited by UFOs since the 1800s, and that trend continues until today. Japanese TV producer and journalist Michi Saito says UFOs are a popular subject in Japanese media, with there being more than 20 famous UFO programs broadcast in recent history. “It is one of the major segments of supernatural
See SIGHTINGS, Page A3
Submitted Photo
A drawing of an Utsuro-bune, or “hollow ships,” that some in Japan believe were early reports of UFOs. The first reports of Utsuro-bune appear in 1803, when one washed ashore on the eastern coast of Japan.
Roswell and the 1947 UFO Incident will be featured in an upcoming special on UFOs produced and broadcast in Japan. Japanese Overseas TV producer and journalist Michi Saito contacted the Roswell Daily Record for permission to reproduce the 1947 front page as part of a two-part special on UFOs, to be aired on the Aichi Television Network, a local channel which covers three prefectures, which Saito says would be similar to a channel covering three states in the U.S. The first episode aired June 21. The air date of the second part, which will feature the Roswell story, has not yet be set, Saito said. Saito said the name of the show is “Debate Coliseum.” “As far as I know, it was the first time that the news department dealt with the subject of UFOs,” Saito said in an email interview on Thursday. “Stanton Friedman (who will be a featured speaker at this year’s UFO Festival) was the
Saito
main advisor.” Debates on a couple issues were longer than expected, so the show grew from a one-episode segment into a two-part show, Saito said. “They had no choice but to make a quick decision to save the whole Roswell segment for the future Part II, for which the date is not yet finalized,” she said. “I feel it was a good decision, for Roswell is an issue which cannot be handled fully in one segment.” Saito says UFOs are a
Gonzales: ‘A little touch of love can change a man’s heart’ BY DYLANNE PETROS RECORD STAFF WRITER
Johnny Gonzales has spent his life helping others. Gonzales, 64, of Roswell, has his own prison ministry, Prison Door Inc. and has been helping people for more than 35 years. He started his career by going into schools and teaching kids the harmful effects of drugs. “When I first started 35 years ago … I used to go speak to the colleges about marijuana, saying no to drugs,” Gonzales said. “I went all the way down to elementary schools.” Now, he talks with prison gang street members from
New Mexico, Texas, California and Mexico. When he talks to the gang members, Gonzales focuses more on spirituality. “There’s nothing wrong with a person. He just doesn’t know what can be accomplished in his life,” he said. Gonzales also goes into the prisons to teach because he believes the prisons don’t have a lot of educational opportunities for prisoners. “You gotta teach them more, teach them skills, teach them … the do’s and don’ts, the rights and wrongs,” he said. “What they lack is the spiritual knowledge of things.” Not only does he work
with prisoners, but he works with teenagers who are serving community service time and he works with kids who don’t have a lot. “I take stuff to the kids — clothes, shoes,” Gonzales said. He also donates school supplies to more than 1,000 kids every year. Each year, he donates school supplies at the beginning of the year. Then, throughout the rest of the year, he replenishes the supplies. “I have four generations of kids that I have helped,” Gonzales said. Around the holidays, he donated Christmas presents to children as well. “Those that have nothing
— those are the ones I reached out to,” he said. Gonzales keeps busy throughout the year. He is hosting the Fiesta de Amour Tent Revival, starting on July 1. The tent revival is for both children and adults and will be like a vacation Bible school for the kids. Along with the Bible school, Gonzales will be speaking to families of prisoners. He will be speaking to them about why their relatives are in prison. “I find working with the parents more difficult than working with the kids,” he said. There will also be a special memorial service for gangsters and youth who
HIGH 103 LOW 71
• JACK FRANKLIN GOODNIGHT • KC JEAN TRUJILLO • JAMES EDWARD LEATHERMAN
• MODESTA RIVERA NAJAR • MARTHA BAULCH MORRIS • REV. BOYD SPENCE CATES
TODAY’S FORECAST
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B6
popular subject in Japanese media, with there being more than 20 segments broadcast in various programs featuring UFOs in recent history. “It is one of the major segments of supernatural- type variety shows,” she said, “and most are by major networks.” Saito is a longtime television reporter, producer and has her own coordination company, MM Saito, which specializes in coordinating Japaneselanguage versions of English television productions. For overseas media, she has coordinated for American news programs such as “Nightline with Ted Koppel,” and “World News with Peter Jennings.” For Japanese media, she has coordinated programs on Mother Teresa, NTV International Cooking Festival, Tokyo Media Art Festival by Culture Affaires Agency, and the 2005 World Expo were some of her assignments, among many others. One of her favorite memories is meeting Mother Teresa. “I can’t leave this out —
See SPECIAL, Page A3
have died in the prisons. Having the memorial service allows families to come together, Gonzales said.
After the tent revival, Gonzales is planning to take children who have no father figure camping so they can spend time together.
Gonzales does what he does because “a little touch of love can change a man’s heart,” he said. Gonzales has no plans of stopping any time soon.
“I’m looking forward to another 15-20 years doing this until I pass away,” he said. CLASSIFIEDS ..........D1
COMICS .................C4
ENTERTAINMENT .....A8
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
Gonzales SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8 OPINION .................A4