Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 120, No. 227 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA scientists are doing their best to tell us where a plummeting six-ton satellite will fall later this week. It’s just that if they’re off a little bit, it could mean the difference between hitting Florida or landing on New York. Or, say, Iran or India. - PAGE A8
WEDNESDAY
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Incumbents paired in redistricting proposal
SANTA FE (AP) — Democrats are proposing to reshuffle the political landscape of the 42-member state Senate by drawing new districts that could force two incumbent Republicans to run against each other in next year’s election.
SATELLITE FALLING TO EARTH
September 21, 2011
Democratic leaders hoped to move the redistricting plan to the Senate for debate and a possible vote late Tuesday. Republicans opposed the measure, it could contending strengthen Democratic con-
trol of the Senate. Democrats hold a 27-15 majority in the Senate. The proposal would merge two districts in southeastern New Mexico, putting Republicans Rod Adair, of Roswell, and William Burt, of Alamogordo, in the same district. The plan also pairs Democrat Dede Feldman and Republican John Ryan in one Albuquerque district. The measure also could help several first-ter m Democratic incumbents by adjusting boundaries to
add more Democratic-leaning voters in districts that currently have a slight GOP tilt or can swing in favor of either party.
Among the freshman lawmakers that could benefit from proposed boundary changes are Democratic Sens. John Sapien, of Corrales; Stephen Fischmann, of Mesilla Park; and Tim Eichenberg, of Albuquerque. The proposal must clear See PROPOSAL, Page A6
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
House Democrats have ignited a name-calling battle against Roswell lawmakers this week during the special session, claiming that Roswell has too much legislative representation. Democratic representatives are calling Rep. Nora Espinoza, R-Roswell, Rep.
WEB
For The Past 24 Hours
• Autopsy rules death accidental • Field of Honor comes to a close • Are we there yet? • Cowboy shooting draws a crowd • The lessons we learned in Week 4
SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Fifth graders at Del Norte Elementary receive copies of the Constitution during a Constitution Day assembly, Tuesday.
Del Norte celebrates Constitution Day VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER Fifth-graders at Del Norte Elementary School were visibly shocked when told who the government is during a Constitution Day event at the school’s library, Tuesday.
OFFENSE HELPS RHS TO 4-GAME VICTORY
Last season, the Roswell Coyote volleyball team was one of the most offensiveoriented teams in the state. This year, though, the Coyotes haven’t exactly found that same groove. They found that groove on Tuesday. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • •
Jesus Avitia Vitalia Gomez Julian Garcia Benny Encinias
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HIGH ...85˚ LOW ....60˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
When local attor ney Lee Huntzinger, who gave a presentation all about the U.S. Constitution, asked the children who the government is, one student guessed it is the FBI. Another student said the government is the people who take
Subpoenas likely in PRC impeachment case
SANTA FE (AP) — The House could be asked by the end of the week to issue subpoenas for an investigation to determine whether Public Regulation Commissioner Jerome Block Jr. should be impeached for misconduct in office, lawmakers were told Tuesday. For mer prosecutor Robert Gorence, who is leading the investigation as special counsel for a House impeachment subcommittee, told the panel it probably will take at least two or three weeks to gather evidence in the case. Gorence said he hoped to receive some informa-
tion from the commission, the attor ney general’s office and the state auditor this week then will ask for subpoenas. The House can issue subpoenas during its special session. Block, an Espanola Democrat, is under investigation by the attor ney general’s office for possible misuse of a state-issued gasoline card. He has refused to publicly respond to the allegations and has remained in his $90,000-a-year job despite calls for his resignation, including by other members of the commission. Gorence was a prosecuSee CASE, Page A6
one’s money away. But Huntzinger reassured the students, as they huddled on the library floor, that each of them is the government. Huntzinger said this was a far cry from how the See DEL NORTE, Page A6
CLASSIFIEDS..........D6 COMICS.................B4 ENTERTAINMENT...B10 FINANCIAL .............B3 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 Mark Wilson Photo
Dr. Catherine Torres, Secretary of the Department of Health, visits Eastern New Mexico Medical Center Tuesday evening.
See UPDATE, Page A6
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide attacker with a bomb in his turban posed as a Taliban peace envoy and assassinated a former Afghan president who for the past year headed a government council seeking a political settlement with the insurgents. Tuesday’s attack, carried out in former President Burhanuddin Rabbani’s Kabul home, dealt a harsh blow to attempts at ending a decade of war. The killing of Rabbani, an ethnic Tajik and one of the wise old men of Afghan politics, will blunt efforts to keep in check the regional and ethnic rivalries that help feed the insurgency. President Hamid Karzai cut short a visit to the United Nations and called on Afghans to remain unified in the face of Rabbani’s “martyrdom.” An emergency Cabinet meeting was called for Wednesday. The attack came days after a daytime assault by insurgents on the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters that deepened a sense of insecurity in the capital. NATO said in a statement that two suicide bombers were involved in the attack on Rabbani, both of them men See AFGHAN, Page A6
Water pipeline bursts at intersection
A water pipeline on the corner of South Sycamore Avenue and West Second Street broke Tuesday afternoon at around 3:20 p.m., according to Roswell State Police Officer Buddy Haider. Haider said at the time the pipeline broke, there were several vehicles at the stoplight of the intersection, but no injuries or damages to any vehicles were reported. The force of the break caused the water from the pipeline to come into contact with asphalt, destroying the roadway and turning the asphalt Julia Bergman Photo affected into a jello-like consistency, Haider said. Members of the Roswell Utility Department work on a water pipeline that broke on the corner of South Sycamore Avenue and West Second Street, Tuesday afternoon. See PIPELINE, Page A6
Health Secretary speaks to local nurses
INDEX
According to Rep. Wooley, House Democrats are mistaken if they think that the four legislators just represent Roswell, “That’s not correct, there’s
Suicide bomber kills former Afghan president
TOP 5
INSIDE
Candy Spence-Ezzell, RRoswell, Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell and Rep. Bob Wooley, RRoswell, the “Roswell Four.”
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER Local nurses got an extra dose of inspiration when New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Catherine Torres dropped by to speak to them during a nurse’s meeting, Tuesday evening. As attendees savored hors d’oeuvres at the Eastern New Mexico Medical Center’s cafeteria, Torres spoke of one of the greatest challenges within the nursing field: Getting and retaining new nurses. She also said that get-
See NURSES, Page A2
IMF: Economy enters ‘dangerous new phase’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The world economy has entered a “dangerous new phase,” according to the chief economist of the Inter national Monetary Fund. As a result, the inter national lending organization has sharply downgraded its economic outlook for the United States and Europe through the end of next year. The IMF expects the U.S. economy to grow just 1.5 percent this year and 1.8 percent in 2012. That’s down from its June forecast of 2.5 percent in 2011
and 2.7 percent next year. To achieve even that stilllow level of growth, the U.S. economy would need to expand at a much faster rate in the second half of the year than its 0.7 percent annual pace in the first six months. Most economists expect growth of between 1.5 percent and 2 percent in the final two quarters. Though an improvement, it wouldn’t be enough to lower the unemployment rate. The rate has been 9 percent or See PHASE, Page A6