Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 121, No. 174 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
12 dead in Colorado theater shooting
SATURDAY
www.rdrnews.com
AP Photo
WESTERN WILDFIRES HISTORY
July 21, 2012
A gas mask was marked as the first piece of evidence in a criminal investigation after a shooting at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., Friday.
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Scientists using field notes from surveys first conducted by the government before the Civil War believe they’ve gained a better understanding of how Western wildfires behaved historically. Researchers at the University of Wyoming studied historical fire patterns across millions of acres of dry ... - PAGE A6
AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A former medical student in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight showing of the Batman movie on Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history. When the smoke began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of the The Dark Knight Rises, one of the
most highly anticipated films of the summer. They saw a silhouette of a person in the haze near the screen, first pointing a gun at the crowd and then shooting. “There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead,” Jennifer Seeger said, adding that the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload. The suspect was taken into custody and identified
TOP 5 WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• ‘Severely understaffed’ RPD won’t take ID ... • RISD chooses T or C’s Burris for top spot • Should be done by September • Motorcycle accident • After the storm
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
J.P. White House turns 100; celebrate! Visitors to the 100th birthday party for the J.P. White House and the Historical Museum check out a wagon on display, Friday. Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico hosted the event.
CHAUNTE’L POWELL RECORD STAFF WRITER
Roswell received a blast from the past Friday evening as the Historical
SNEDEKER ON A ROLL
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Brandt Snedeker plays fast and talks even faster, and he was on a roll Friday in the British Open. He raced up the leaderboard with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch, tied the 36-hole record for a major championship and looked like he was bent on running away from the field at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Not so fast. Along came Adam Scott, playing cautiously and picking his spots for three birdies on the back nine to pull within one shot. Not far behind was Tiger Woods ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
There are no obituaries today, July 21, 2012.
HIGH ...98˚ LOW ....70˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B3 FINANCIAL .............A7 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........A8 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8 THE WEST ............A6
INDEX
Center for Southeast New Mexico celebrated the 100th birthday of the J.P. White House.
The celebration featured several displays, such as
how an apple press works, how tortillas were made before modern technology and even guess that artifact. In addition to the brief history lessons, there
Will Cass: Teacher, singer, actor, the ‘ugliest girl’ at Mary Mount College
Noah Vernau Photo
Will Cass at Senior Circle, Thursday.
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
You could hear him on the radio in Kansas and New Mexico. He served in the Army, worked with Danny Kaye, and graduated from a Catholic school for girls. He taught for 37 years, and his love for theater produced an acting bug that he maintains at the age of 72. Of a life that has seen its share of stages and roles, Will Cass says, “I’ve zigzagged around.” Born in Quanah, Texas, in 1940, Cass moved to New Mexico when he was 10 years old. First to Roswell, then Socorro, then Hondo. His family would later settle in Jal, where Cass graduated from high school in 1958. After four semesters at New Mexico Highlands University, Cass left college to become a radio announcer at K-FUN in Las Vegas, N.M., where his voice traced the airwaves for a little over a year. With the possibility of a military draft looming, Cass left radio to join the Army when he was 20 years old, and served his country for three years. Stationed in Korea
for 15 months, Cass sharpened his performance skills as a member of a group called the Bayonet Chorale. When Kaye, a celebrated comedian, traveled to Korea to entertain soldiers, he selected Cass and others to tour Korea for the holidays. “I got to see professionalism up close, which I had never seen before,” Cass said. “I had always studied and wanted to be an actor. I had worked in amateur productions, but this was getting to work with a professional.” While touring with Kaye, Cass witnessed firsthand the pressure and dedication of a top notch performer, and was struck by the focus Kaye showed as director. “I don’t think he even knew we were there,” Cass said. “He only looked at us when he was directing us.” After the Army, Cass returned to Highlands to continue his education, and soon found himself at another crossroads. He again left college, this time to join the I Don’t Care Singers amid a folk movement that had groups like Peter, Paul and Mary sprouting across the country. When the group reached its end, Cass found himself
stranded in Salina, Kan. From K-FUN to KFARM, Cass landed another job as a radio announcer. One night while Cass was on the air, a nun from Mary Mount College who liked his voice called into K-FARM with an interesting request. Mary Mount, a Catholic school for girls, sought a male actor for one of the school’s plays. After one try-out, Cass was given the lead role in Playboy of the Western World, a classic Irish comedy. Shortly after the play’s conclusion, Cass discovered the nuns had more ideas. It See SPOTLIGHT, Page A3
was live entertainment, hot dogs, lemonade and of course, birthday cake for everyone to enjoy. Celebrants were also See WHITE, Page A3
by federal law enforcement of ficials as 24-year -old James Eagen Holmes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Authorities did not release a motive. The FBI said there was no indication of ties to any terrorist groups.
Holmes headed for the theater in body ar mor, ar med with an assaultstyle rifle, a shotgun and two Glock handguns,
Former NMFA official pleads guilty
See SHOOTING, Page A3
SANTA FE, (AP) — A former accountant for the New Mexico Finance Authority has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion for stealing $59,000 from the agency that’s embroiled in a scandal over a fake financial audit.
The Taxation and Revenue Department announced Friday that Valerie Sandoval of Ber nalillo pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced earlier this week to five years of probation. Sandoval also must pay $59,000 in restitution and $3,500 in taxes. The department said Sandoval took money from See SANDOVAL, Page A3
Unexpected chores
Mark Wilson Photo
Elizabeth Vargas cleans up debris at Professional Style, located in the 100 block of East McGaffey Street, after an early-morning wreck, Friday. A suspected drunk driver crashed through a bay door of Golden Rule Alignment & Muffler next door, then broke through the wall.
Cole murder still unsolved JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Today marks the 11-year anniversary of the slaying of John Cole, 18, at the Sonic restaurant which was located at 624 N. Main St., in a drive-by shooting. The case remains unsolved. Cole and a friend were sitting in a vehicle when shots were fired from the alley behind the restaurant. Cole was struck in the back of the head and pronounced dead the next morning at University Hospital in Lubbock. Cole had just graduated from high school. He planned to join the National Guard and hoped to become a police officer. The District Attorney’s Office was forced to stop
prosecution in 2002 due to lack of evidence against suspects Manuel Lucero and Isaac J. Stewart, both 17 at the time. The prosecution’s primary witness, Jerrod Nease, also 17 then, not only gave conflicting testimony, but failed a polygraph test. Lesley S. Williams, the chief deputy district attorney in 2002, noted that Nease admitted to tampering with evidence in connection with the murder of Cole in the Children’s Court Division of Chaves County District Court. According to Williams, Nease said he didn’t see the guns during the shooting. However, Williams said, “It had to be there right beside him. In fact, in his face.” j.palmer@rdrnews.com