Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 251 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
October 18, 2014
Readers support commission’s ballot questions BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Non-binding ballot questions the Chaves County Commissioners unsuccessfully attempted to place on general election ballots likely would have been approved by voters, according to a non-scientific poll of Daily Record readers. Online and print readers were in favor on the five conservative ballot questions the Chaves County Commissioners proposed,
although poll respondents were at a schism on the issue of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana. Online readers were largely in support of decriminalizing possession of 1 ounce of marijuana or less, while paper ballot respondents largely opposed the marijuana reform question. The Chaves County Commissioners on Sept. 22 approved placing five nonbinding questions on November ballots. It was
the first time Chaves County leaders proposed nonbinding ballot questions. The county action came on the heels of a state Supreme Court ruling that overturned a decision by Secretary of State Dianna Duran, which had disallowed non-binding ballot questions in Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties. Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties challenged Duran’s decision before the state’s high court and won. Chaves County did not challenge Duran’s denial of
the five non-binding questions approved by the Chaves County Commissioners. Therefore, Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties will have non-binding ballot questions on general election ballots, while Chaves County will not. It will be the first time in New Mexico history a nonbinding advisory question will appear on ballots in a statewide election. The Chaves County Commissioners approved asking voters the following five
Schmitt discusses Goddard, NASA career BY RANDAL SEYLER RECORD CITY EDITOR
Cadets from New Mexico Military Institute got a chance to meet a legend Friday when Apollo 17 astronaut Dr. Harrison Schmitt spoke at Pearson Auditorium. One of the last men to walk on the moon, Schmitt was in town as part of “Aiming for the Stars,” a public event honoring Roswell’s most famous “star,” rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard. “It has to be remembered that the first Apollo mission, going to the moon, was a young person’s achievement, it was young engineers who made that happen,” Schmitt told the NMMI cadets in the audience. “That is something for you young people here to remember — your most productive period in life is just in front of you.” Schmitt spoke about the relationship between Goddard and the Apollo Program, and he also recalled his personal experiences in the Apollo program,
SATURDAY
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Randal Seyler Photo
Dr. Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and one of the last two men to walk on the moon, visits with members of New Mexico Military Institute’s Flight Club on Friday. Schmitt is in Roswell as part of the “Aiming for the Stars” celebration of the legacy of Dr. Robert Goddard, the pioneer in rocketry who launched the first liquid fuel rocket in 1926 not far from Roswell. where he was the lunar Schmitt grew up in Sil- joining NASA as a member module pilot and geologist ver City and received his of the first group of scienfor NASA’s final flight to Ph.D. in geology from Harthe moon. vard University. Before See SCHMITT, Page A3
questions. The responses from print and online readers, as of Friday afternoon, follow each question.
1. Right to Work: Are you in favor of the Chaves County Commission enacting a Right-to-Work ordinance that would make our county more competitive for jobs and create economic opportunities for existing and future businesses? 35 of 37 print respondents voted Yes, or 94.6 percent. 2 of 37 print respondents
voted No, or 5.4 percent. 103 of 131 online respondents voted Yes, or 78.6 percent. 28 of 131 online respondents voted No, or 21.4 percent. Overall, 82.1 percent of respondents voted Yes. 2. Voter ID: Are you in favor of the Chaves County Commission enacting a Voter ID ordinance that would require voters to present a photo ID
WHO faulted for Ebola failures as Obama taps czar
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization bungled efforts to halt the spread of Ebola in West Africa, an internal report revealed Friday, as President Barack Obama named a trusted political adviser to take control of America’s frenzied response to the epidemic. The stepped-up scrutiny of the inter national response came as U.S. officials rushed to cut of f potential routes of infection from three cases in Texas, reaching a cruise ship in the Caribbean and multiple domestic airline flights. Republican lawmakers and the Obama administration debated the value of restricting travelers from entering the U.S. from countries where the outbreak began, without a resolution. But with Secretary of State John Kerry renewing pleas for a “collective, global response” to a disease
See BALLOT, Page A3
that has already killed more than 4,500 people in Africa, the WHO draft report pointed to serious errors by an agency designated as the international community’s leader in coordinating response to outbreaks of disease.
The document — a timeline of the outbreak — found that WHO, an arm of the United Nations, missed chances to prevent Ebola from spreading soon after it was first diagnosed in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea last spring, blaming factors including incompetent staf f and a lack of infor mation. Its own experts failed to grasp that traditional infectious disease containment methods wouldn’t work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems, the report found.
“Nearly everyone involved
Thousands released after Pillars of character to take over schools next week immigration holds denied SCHEDULE OF
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Immigration officials say local authorities across the U.S. released thousands of immigrants from jails this year despite efforts to take them into federal custody, including more than 3,000 with previous felony charges or convictions. The numbers are the first time federal immigration authorities have publicly detailed how many times local agencies have refused to comply with their requests. They highlight the friction between the federal gover nment and police and sheriff’s departments, some of which say holding immigrants beyond their release dates harms community policing efforts. Immigration officials say the denials pose a public
safety threat as immigrants who previously would have been placed in federal custody once they were eligible to leave jail are being released into communities where they could commit new crimes. In the first eight months of this year, immigration agents filed roughly 105,000 requests for local agencies to hold immigrants for up to 48 hours after they were eligible for release on the allegations for which they initially were arrested, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agents wanted the immigrants held so they could take them into federal custody and start deportation proceedings.
BY DYLANNE PETROS RECORD STAFF WRITER
Character Counts! will be happening in local schools next week. A press conference, held Friday at the Chaves County Administration Center, explained how Character Counts! in Chaves County got its start and the events that will be occurring next week. Character Counts! exemplifies the six pillars of character, which are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. “This is either the 20th or the 21st annual celebration of Character Counts! in Chaves County,” said Judge Alvin Jones, one of the founders of Character Counts.
EVENTS
Tuesday, Oct. 21 — Zoo Tour/Pillar Presentation at Spring River Park Zoo, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 — Honor the Badge Presentation at the Joe Skeen Building, 6 p.m.
All communities in Chaves County are involved in the Character Counts! week and have been since its creation.
“That has been a wonderful … project over the years,” Jones said. “The involvement of the communities of Dexter, Hagerman, Lake Arthur … have been a phenomenal support to the program and the county as whole.”
Thursday, Oct. 23 — Super Celebration at Roswell High School Commons, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 24 — Pillar Friday; Students may wear T-shirts the colors of the different pillars of character
All the schools in Chaves County, not just public schools, are involved in Character Counts! week.
“We work with the private schools (and) the public schools. We have a privileged relationship with the New Mexico Military Institute, we’re very grateful for it. We work hard to sustain the program,” Jones said.
See EBOLA, Page A2
Character Counts! started, Alvin said, to make sure people understood the characters so they could succeed throughout their life. “The program started … (to show) it’s not just an issue for young people; this goes on for the balance of your life,” Jones said. “The work is never over.” Gen. Richard Geraci believes Character Counts! is critical for the nation. “There’s a void in certain areas where we really need to take a leadership role and character education of our youth into schools,” he said. In May, New Mexico Military Institute will be recognized as a national school of character. The
Boy Scouts helps prepare young men for adulthood
STAFF REPORT
The Boy Scouts of America has been a staple in Chaves County since 1913 and the organization has been able to flourish with the help of the United Way. The Boy Scouts Conquistador Council started in 1924 under the name of Eastern New Mexico Council. In 1953, the organization was renamed the Conquistador Council, said Keith Alder, scout director. Boy Scouts of America was created in order to prepare young people to lear n how to make moral and ethical decisions,
HIGH 69 LOW 50
TODAY’S FORECAST
according to the mission statement. To instill the values Boy Scouts should believe in, there is a Scout Oath and Scout Law that all Boy Scouts learn.
Each year, the Conquistador Council serves around 1,300 young people, Alder said. More than 900 boys are between the ages of 7 and 10, while 450 men are from the ages of 11 to 18. In addition to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, there is a co-ed Venturing and Exploring program, which has around 75 girls and boys from the ages of 14 to 20. Having support from the community and United Way allows
• GUADALUPE D. VASQUEZ
more children to get involved, Alder said.
“Boy Scouts of America relies on the support and involvement of the communities we serve. United Way’s funds help us reach a greater number of young people by expanding our programs into more communities in Chaves County,” Alder said. “The Council provides training for volunteers, recruiting programs, program development, scholarships, and other support to the local packs, troops, crews and posts to better serve the youth in our area.” Young men aren’t the only people who benefit from Boy Scouts
• COL. EDWARD NORRIS ECKERT
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B4
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....B6 FINANCIAL ..............B3
See CHARACTER, Page A2
or Conquistador Council, though. “Scouting benefits all families, especially where the need for a male role model exists. Single mothers, grandparents raising grandchildren and families of servicemen are examples. “Here in Roswell, a Boy Scout’s father was left totally disabled by a heart attack two years ago. The young man’s Scout Master has become a mentor to him, helping to fill the void left by tragedy,” Alder said. Maybe people may think of camp-outs, but Alder says that See SCOUTS, Page A2
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........B6 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8