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Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY

Vol. 120, No. 230 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday

INSIDE NEWS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A 6-ton NASA satellite on a collision course with Earth clung to space Friday, apparently flipping position in its everlower orbit and stalling its death plunge.The old research spacecraft was targeted to crash... - PAGE A9

SATURDAY

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Sting operation successful; 67 arrested JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER

FALLING SATELLITE SLOWS DOWN

September 24, 2011

A massive sting operation on Thursday resulted in 67 people being arrested on charges of drug trafficking. The operation was a combined county, state and federal ef fort, including Chaves County Metro Narcotics Task Force and Mobile Enforcement Team from the DEA’s El Paso Division Of fice. Of ficers from the New Mexico State Police, RPD’s SWAT team and sheriff’s deputies from Chaves County, along with deputies from Eddie, Lea

and Otero counties also participated. First Assistant District Attorney Steve Yarbrough, representing the U.S Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit announced during a press conference Friday that 57 Roswell residents have been charged with federal drug trafficking offenses. Another 27 Roswell residents were charged with state drug traf ficking of fenses, which will be prosecuted by District Attorney for the 5th Judicial District Janetta B. Hicks.

Of the 84 warrants issued, 49 of the people facing federal charges are in police custody and 17 people with state charges were apprehended. Seventeen individuals remain at large and are considered fugitives. Three additional subjects were arrested on felony charges.

“A total of 25 were identified as gang members, from Southside, Northside and Crazy Town Roswell and the Mexican Mafia,” said Yarbrough, “Forty-three had extensive criminal hisSee STING, Page A3

Mark Wilson Photo

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Joseph M. Arabit, right, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Yarbrough hold a press conference Friday to announce the massive operation that was held Thursday involving more than 150 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies resulting in more than 60 arrests.

TOP 5 WEB For The Past 24 Hours

• Roe announces candidacy • Coming soon • VistaCare lends a hand • Health Secretary speaks to local nurses • Colts hold off Socorro in double OT

INSIDE SPORTS

Mark Wilson Photo

D.E.A. Police leave a house located on N. Washington Avenue near W. 11th Street Thursday morning during a massive operation involving more than 150 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Legislature sends food stamp bill to governor

WARRIORS SHUT DOWN ANIMAS

Football for better or worse has become an offensive game. There are spread offenses from the NFL to Pop Warner and as a result, offense rules the day on the gridiron. For defensive-minded fans that can be frustrating, but for all the hoopla surrounding four and five wide... - PAGE B1

TODAY’S OBITUARIES • • • •

William Robert Case Ronald Allensworth Freda Hefner Julian Garcia - PAGE A9

HIGH ...90˚ LOW ....58˚

TODAY’S FORECAST

CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B3 ENTERTAINMENT...B10 FINANCIAL .............A8 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10

INDEX

SANTA FE (AP) — The Legislature edged closer to wrapping up a special session as it gave final approval Friday to measures sought by Gov. Susana Martinez, including food stamp assistance for New Mexicans who faced a possible cut in benefits. The House and Senate on Friday endorsed a measure providing $450,000 to supplement federal food stamps for the elderly and disabled so they get at least $25 a month in assistance. The state program serves nearly 5,000 people but will run out of money at the end of the month without the legislation. The proposal also provides as much as $12 million for Medicaid by tapping into money that otherwise will go back to the federal government if

FINAL DAYS OF SPECIAL SESSION

JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER

In an action that seems to pour gasoline on an already burning fire, House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, and House Majority Floor Leader Ken Martinez, DGrants, are allegedly inhibiting House Democrats from reading the House Republicans’ most recent plan for redistricting. Rep. Bob Wooley, RRoswell, said Republicans representatives individually passed out the plan to each of their Democratic counterparts to ensure they were able to read the bill. House Bill 47, sponsored by Minority Floor Leader Tom Taylor, RFarmington, is the plan Republican representatives have put forward for redistricting, which they are calling a least change

plan. “It holds intact the incumbent seats, we were able to hold all those together. We’re trying to make it as bipartisan as possible in every district, while upholding the majority minority district mandates, and while upholding the Native American districts on what their percentages need to be,” Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, said. Calling the bill fair to all parties involved, Wooley said, “It’s bipartisan. It represents the Hispanic minority, it represents the Indians. And Democrats get to keep their 37 to 33 representation, as it is right now. It’s a least change bill. The great thing about the bill is it lets voters decide who’s coming back up here.”There was a motion

Palestinians submit UN statehood bid

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Palestinian leader took his people’s quest for independence to the heart of world diplomacy Friday, seeking U.N. recognition of Palestine and sidestepping negotiations that have foundered for nearly two decades under the weight of inflexibility, violence and failure of will. The bid to win recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — submitted over the objections of the U.S. — laid bare the deep sense of Palestinian exasperation after 44 years of Israeli occupation. “The time is now for the Palestinian Spring, the time for independence,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared. After Abbas submitted his for mal application, inter national mediators called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to long-stalled negotiations and reach an agreement no later than next year. The Quartet — the U.S., European Union, U.N. and Russia — urged both parties to

draw up an agenda for peace talks within a month and produce comprehensive proposals on territory and security within three months. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the proposal “represents the firm conviction of the international community that a just and lasting peace can only come through negotiations between the parties.” Similar plans have failed to produce a peace agreement, and it was unclear how the two sides could bridge their huge differences and resume talks. The Quartet statement was radically different from what diplomats had been hoping to draft since it became clear that Abbas would not back down. U.S. and European officials had been trying to craft a statement that would outline parameters of the negotiations, including a reference to borders being based on the 1967 lines and affirm Israel’s identity as a Jewish

Gomez, organizer and community volunteer See BILL, Page A3

See SESSION, Page A3

See BID, Page A3

JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER

Barbara Gomez is a woman with loads of enthusiasm and bundles of energy. She is a mother with three sons, and a grandmother, but few could tell either by her appearance or her demeanor. She is known as an organizer and for her service to the community. “I’m all about community involvement and community education.” Gomez planned and promoted Roswell’s first Medical Conference that was held earlier this month. She works for Frontier Medical and was responsible for the highly

popular Baby Boomers Conference and Medical Expo, which she developed and spearheaded for the past two years. “Often it’s the people who are still working who need the information. It’s the boomers who will be taking care of mom and dad or taking them to the doctors, helping them set up a living trust or a will, that need to know what is available out there.” She was pleased with the suc-

cess of Baby Boomers. “It got our (Frontier Medical) name out in the community. The first year we had over 1,000 people and 60-plus booths. The second year we had 2,000 people and 72 booths. We had people come down from Albuquerque, Clovis, Artesia and Ruidoso just to

See GOMEZ, Page A3 Barbara Gomez

Jessica Palmer Photo


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