Roswell Daily Record
INSIDE NEWS
HURRICANE STRENGTHENS
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
State gets some rain, but not enough
Vol. 120, No. 258 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — New Mexico remains in the grips of a severe to exceptional drought, and there’s little promise for much relief as winter approaches, forecasters and water managers said Tuesday. But before explaining their predictions for more doom and gloom, members of New Mexico’s Drought Monitoring Workgroup offered a spot of bright news that some parts of the state got more precipitation in the first 10 days of October than they would normally get. The rain helped ease far north-
October 26, 2011
WEDNESDAY
www.rdrnews.com
wester n New Mexico out of the drought, but the forecasters’ maps show the rest of the state bathed in swaths of orange and shades of red — indications of the dry condition. Statewide precipitation levels for the first nine months of the year averaged less than 60 percent of normal, with the southeastern corner being the driest, said Ed Polasko, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. “All said and done, we’re still having the driest start to any year on record statewide,” he said.
Since the beginning of the year, New Mexico has been passed over by nearly every major wet storm to track through the Southwest. The resulting lack of moisture in the mountains was made worse as spring started early, bringing with it fierce winds and above-normal temperatures. With reservoir levels low, cities across New Mexico have been urging residents to conserve. Watering restrictions have been imposed in some communities. Ranchers have been forced to sell off cattle, and farmers who depend on the Rio
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Mexican authorities set up emergency shelters and cruise ships shifted course on Tuesday as Hurricane Rina strengthened off the Caribbean coast, following a projected track that has it whirling through Cancun and the resort-filled Mayan Riviera, Mexico’s most popular tourist destination. - PAGE A9
TOP 5 WEB For The Last 24 Hours
• One dies in crash • Murder case • Grassfire • Billboard draws attention • State honors officers
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Event raises disability awareness
M.S. Jawadi, wearing covered glasses to simulate blindness, is escorted across Main Street by Sabrina Morales during the Amazing Roswell Mysteries Event, Tuesday morning.
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
HAGERMAN LOSES TO CAPITAN Serving is essential for success in high school volleyball, particularly in close matches, and that was no different in the match between Hagerman and Capitan on Tuesday night. - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Norris Weed • Christopher Hellums - PAGE A8
HIGH ...86˚ LOW ....45˚
TODAY’S FORECAST
CLASSIFIEDS..........B7 COMICS.................B4 LOCAL ..................A5 FINANCIAL .............B6 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ......A10 LOTTERIES ............A2 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ............A10 WORLD .................A9
INDEX
Members of various community organizations completed simulated disability activities, including riding the Pecos Trails Transit buses, speaking with representatives from Roswell businesses and members of different city facilities as well as making their way through the streets and sidewalks of Roswell, Tuesday morning. The activity was part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The Roswell DEAM event
featured the simulated disability adventure as well as workshops and a job fair. A group of organizations that work to support people with disabilities finding employment sponsored the Roswell DEAM. These organizations included the New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the New Mexico Focusing on Abilities Grant, The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, Gov. Susana Martinez’s Commission on Disability and the Choices Center for Independent Living. See AWARENESS, Page A6
Grande and Pecos rivers for irrigation were forced to pump groundwater this summer for their crops. The lack of rain is also showing up as tens of millions of dollars in estimated production losses due to smaller crops of everything from winter wheat to sorghum, said Les Owen, a range specialist with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. The estimate of harvested acres of winter wheat this year stands at 95,000 — the first time since 1954
Gadhafi buried in secret
See RAIN, Page A6
MISRATA, Libya (AP) — Flamboyant and grandiose in life, Moammar Gadhafi was buried in secrecy and anonymity, laid to rest in an unmarked grave before dawn in the Libyan desert that was home to his Bedouin tribal ancestors. The burial ended the gruesome spectacle of Gadhafi’s decaying corpse on public display in a cold storage locker at a Misrata warehouse for four days after he was killed in his hometown of Sirte on Oct. 20. The location of the brutal dictator’s grave site was not disclosed by the interim government for fear of vandalism by his foes and veneration by his die-hard supporters. Gadhafi, 69, was buried Tuesday along with his son Muatassim and former Defense Minister Abu Bakr Younis after the military council in the city of Misrata ordered a reluctant Muslim cleric to say the required prayers. Libya’s new leaders hope the funeral will allow the country to turn the page on the four-decade Gadhafi era and the bloody eightmonth rebellion against him. Still, the book cannot be closed completely, with unanswered questions remaining about his slaying, and his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, still at large. Under international pressure to investigate the circumstances of Gadhafi’s death, the interim leaders of the National Transitional Council issued a statement late Tuesday
Agencies keep an eye on fire area Police agencies team up The cause of the grassfire which raced through private property near Woodbine Way and Baker Road on Monday is still being investigated. Monte Baker, fire chief for the East Grand Plains Fire Department, said firefighters from Berrendo Volunteer Fire Department, East Grand Plains Fire Department, Midway Volunteer Fire Department, Sierra Volunteer Fire Department and Dexter Fire Department responded to a call about the fire around 3 p.m. Monday. Baker estimated that more than 101
acres of land had been affected. Firefighters remained on the scene until 11 p.m. Monday, according to Baker. The land is in East Grand Plains’ jurisdiction, so the fire department is responsible for monitoring the area. Firefighters from East Grand Plains returned to the scene to monitor the land at 8 a.m. Tuesday and left around noon. They received a call around 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday that the fire was still smoldering. Firefighters from East
Retirement Board is seeking input
See FIRE, Page A6
See GADHAFI, Page A6
JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
A multi-agency “Impact Patrol” has been implemented to reduce property crime in Roswell. Police detectives, New Mexico State Police officers and Chaves County Sheriff’s deputies have united their efforts to target thieves. The goal is to reduce burglaries, vehicle break-ins and thefts. Officials are going into areas in the city where the property crimes have increased. “They will saturate those neighborhoods with officers. Many will be on foot or driving unmarked cars,” said RPD spokesman Officer Travis Holley. Lt. Britt Snyder of the Chaves County Sheriff’s Office said
Memorial work continues
See POLICE, Page A6
VANESSA KAHIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
Retirement benefits for nearly all New Mexico educators are about to change, but not without a tallying of votes to see what current educators and school staff want. Unfortunately, out of the 1,924 eligible educators and staff members in Chaves County, not one attended a presentation given by Educational Retirement Board Executive Director Jan Goodwin to cast his or her vote at the New Mexico Military Institute’s Daniels Leadership Center, Tuesday. Goodwin — who is on tour throughout the state — gave a presentation in Clovis on Monday to more than 100 ERB members and will be in Las Cruces next week. She said the ERB handles not only the retirement benefits of kindergarten through 12th grade public and charter school educators; but also the retirement funds for instructors at institutions of higher learning, administrators and custodial staff. She said most individuals in education — from a janitor at a school in Jal to the president of the University of New Mexico — is an automatic member of the ERB. The board, which has been around for about 50 years, is See BOARD, Page A6
Mark Wilson Photo
Ed Sandoval, left, and Harold Lopez of Rocky Mountain Stone Company, fit together pieces of the new Chaves County War Memorial in front of the courthouse, Tuesday morning. An official at the site said the project should be completed in the next two weeks.