07 03 13 pages new layout

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Roswell Daily Record

Vol. 122, No. 158 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

PIPELINE OPPONENTS TURN TO LOCAL GOVT.

THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

July 3, 2013

WEDNESDAY

www.rdrnews.com

Navajo Nation declares drought emergency

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The nation’s largest American Indian reservation is awash in extreme drought, and that has forced its leaders to declare an emergency. Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly signed the emergency declaration Monday along with a memorandum directing all executive branch agencies to develop plans for responding to the drought and educating the public about its effects. “We are going to do everything we can to bring our people through this drought. We have many needs,

and we are a strong people,” Shelly said in a statement. “Water is precious, and we have to learn how to conserve and change our practices to make sure we prevail through these drought conditions.” Over the last month, drought on the Navajo Nation — from the tribe’s lands in New Mexico and Arizona to southeastern Utah — has gone from bad to worse. The latest federal drought maps show extreme conditions covering the Four Corners region. Some areas of the reservation have seen just over one-third of

their nor mal precipitation this year. The soil is dry and wells aren’t producing water like they have in the past, Shelly said. Making matters worse is summer forecasts are predicting continued high temperatures and below average precipitation for the area. Navajo emergency management officials said that will likely result in lower river flows, which could have negative effects for livestock and municipal wells. There are about 5,000 stock ponds across the reservation, and officials said as water supplies

dwindle, more pressure will be placed on the tribe’s windmills and drinking water wells. The tribe’s commission on emergency management said drought conditions have already created a critical shortage of water and feed for livestock. “The land condition will continue to deteriorate and the socio-economic framework of the Navajo Nation will be negatively impacted,” the commission stated. “The livestock owners and farmers will need to plan to protect and preserve their land and their livestock.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Frustrated with state and federal of ficials, opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline are tur ning to low-level county commissions and zoning boards in a new attempt...

JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER

- PAGE B6

TOP 5 WEB

For The Past 24 Hours

• Van theft affects handicapped vets •.Fed funding of vet cemetery discussed • Roswell Filmfest and... • Local man sentenced to 51 months... • Former Roswell mayor helped city...

INSIDE SPORTS

The good news for LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan is that his sport is dominating the golf conversation, which is rare. For the last two days, it seems like every time Whan turns on TV is he hearing about Inbee Park, and that’s how it should be...

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TODAY’S OBITUARIES

• Sam Morley • Richard A. Byrd

- PAGE A8

HIGH ...89˚ LOW ....65˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B5 ENTERTAINMENT...A10 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION..................A8 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A6

INDEX

AP Photo

Investigators examine Ariz. blaze

Prescott and other area department firefighters embrace during a memorial service, Monday, in Prescott, Ariz.

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — Fire crews battling a wildfire should identify escape routes and safe zones. They should pay close attention to the weather forecast. And they should post lookouts. Those are standards the gover nment follows to protect firefighters, which were toughened after a wildfire tragedy in Col-

CAN PARK WIN FOUR?

NMMI lawsuit moves to Carlsbad

orado nearly two decades ago. On Tuesday, investigators from around the U.S. arrived in Arizona to examine whether 19 firefighters who perished over the weekend heeded those rules or ignored them and paid with their lives. In the nation’s biggest loss of firefighters since 9/11, violent wind gusts Sunday turned what was

believed to be a relatively manageable lightningignited forest fire in the town of Yar nell into a death trap that left no escape for a team of Hotshots. The tragedy raised questions of whether the crew should have been pulled out much earlier and whether all the usual precautions would have

made any difference at all in the face of triple-digit temperatures, erratic winds and tinderbox conditions that caused the fire to explode. In 1994, 14 firefighters died on Colorado’s Storm King Mountain, and investigators afterward found numerous errors in the

Chaves County District Court judges bowed out of hearing the New Mexico Military Institute’s lawsuit against its expelled Alumni Association, sending the contentious litigation to Eddy County. The Institute filed the suit June 10 at the Chaves County Courthouse, asking the court to freeze all Association accounts—including $5.2 million in a Wells Fargo brokerage account and an estimated additional $1 million in unrestricted funds. The case was assigned to 5th Judicial District Judge Steven Bell, who recused himself, or asked the court to be removed, June 18. The court then reassigned the case to DistrictJudge Charles Currier, who asked to be recused Thursday. The case was reassigned Friday to Judge Jane Shuler -Gray in Carlsbad. Gray, who was elected in

Police plan DWI crackdown for July 4 holiday SANTA FE (AP) — New Mexico motorists can expect a law enforcement blitz against drunken driving during the July Fourth holiday. State Police officials and law enforcement in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas said Tuesday they will operate checkpoints to catch drunken drivers and will have more officers on patrol. Santa Fe County also is airing radio advertisements against drunken driving and to promote a program that offers cab rides home for people who have been drinking. The cabs usually cost $1 although it’s higher for a long distance trip. Usually the program operates on Friday and Saturday but the cab ride service will be expanded to Thursday for the July Fourth holiday. “The Fourth of July is usually one of the most dangerous times to be on the highways because of DWI,” Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia

See BLAZE Page A3

said at a news conference. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 251 people died in traffic crashes nationwide during the Fourth of July holiday in 2011 and 38 percent of those deaths were in crashes involving a drunken driver. Santa Fe Police Capt. Aric Wheeler said nearly 400 people were arrested for drunken driving last year in the city and 175 vehicles of repeat offenders were seized by authorities. Through the end of May this year, more than 231 vehicles have been seized from drunken drivers and there have been 188 arrests for driving while intoxicated in Santa Fe. “It’s a problem that we continue to try to solve on a daily basis,” said Wheeler. Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Tasia Martinez said a dozen extra officers will be patrolling for drunken drivers during the holiday and there would be a sobriety

See LAWSUIT, Page A3

checkpoint. A police helicopter and airplane also will be flying to look for fireworks violations in the state’s largest city. State Police Chief Robert Shilling said officers will conduct checkpoints and “saturation patrols” for drunken drivers but also will target other traffic violations. “The vast New Mexico interstates will also be replete with State Police ‘black and whites.’ Officers will be out patrolling for aggressive drivers, speeding and drivers with no seat belts,” Shilling said in a statement. According to the state Department of Transportation, 119 people have died in highway accidents in New Mexico from January through May and 58 of those deaths involved alcohol. There were 78 deaths in alcohol-involved highway crashes statewide during the first five months of 2012, and 52 during the same period in 2011.

Fearing chaos, US wades into Egypt turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fearing a political-military implosion that could throw its most important Arab ally into chaos, the Obama administration has abandoned its hands-of f approach, delivering pointed warnings to the three main players in the crisis: Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, protesters demanding his ouster and the power ful Egyptian military.

U.S. officials said Tuesday they are urging Morsi to take immediate steps to address opposition grievances, telling the protesters to remain peaceful and reminding the army that a coup could have consequences for the massive American military aid pack-

age it currently receives. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the delicate diplomacy that is aimed at calming the unrest and protecting Egypt’s status as a bulwark of Mideast stability.

The officials said Washington has stopped short of imposing a to-do list on Morsi, but has instead offered strong suggestions, backed by billions of dollars in U.S. aid, about what he could do to ease the tensions. Those include calling early elections, appointing new cabinet members, firing an unpopular prosecutor general and expressing a willingness to explore

constitutional change. The army has been told that the $1.3 billion in foreign military financing it receives each year from Washington could be jeopardized by a coup or the appearance of a coup. The White House, State Department and Pentagon all refused to comment on any specific steps the administration would like to see taken, saying any actions are for Egypt to decide. However, the of ficials said President Barack Obama outlined the suggestions to Morsi in a phone call late Monday from Tanzania where he was wrapping up a trip to See EGYPT, Page A?

AP Photo

Plainclothes policemen walk with protesters opposed to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Tuesday.


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07 03 13 pages new layout by Roswell Daily Record - Issuu